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LHS CAREER PATHWAYS INITIATIVE & THE EARLY COLLEGE PROGRAM

In the 2017-2018 school year, Lawrence High School (LHS) will finish its transition from its six themed academies to a comprehensive high school comprised of a Lower School (grades 9 and 10) and Upper School (grades 11 and 12). Over the past two years, the LHS redesign has transformed the 9th and 10th grades intro structured learning environments with a focus on instructional rigor and college preparation. With the belief that students should be simultaneously prepared for college and career, the upper school has designed a variety of career-focused pathways for students to engage in career exploration with the opportunity to earn academic credentials toward their post-secondary degrees.

Promising Career Pathways

To inform pathways designed, Jobs for the Future (JFF) analyzed labor market information of the Lawrence metropolitan area to determine which industries were projected to be high-wave, high-demand, and high-growth. Using Boston MSA "real-time" data and other labor market information, JFF identified Boston's three largest industries to be:

1) the health care and social assistance

2) professional, scientific, and technical services

3) government jobs.

The Lawrence region mirrored these industries but with other major industries including​

  • educational services

  • maanufacturing

  • transportation and warehousing

To ensure that students have an entry-point into economically viable careers, prioritized industries in which the average wage is enough for an adult supporting one child.

LHS used data from the Asset Map Report to develop the following Pathways

  • Arts

  • Health & Wellness

  • Tools & Tech

  • Business

  • Public Administration

Within these Pathways, the Early College Program provides college coursework towards an Associate's Degree in the

  • Health & Wellness

  • Tools & Tech

  • Public Administration Pathways

Starting in the fall of 2017, LHS students will have the opportunity to pursue a degree at Northern Essex Community College in

  • Health

  • Engineering

  • Computer & Information Science (CIS)

  • Education

Participating students will have access to the Lawrence, Haverhill and Riverwalk campuses, as well as Quarrybrook, an NECC-affiliated 245-acre learning facility that specializes in experiential, outdoor learning.

A Solid Investment

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