Detroit schools have plan to prep students for life after high school

DETROIT (WJBK) - Detroit school leaders have a new plan to prepare students for college or jobs after high school and it will affect all 22 high schools in the district.

A number of Cody high school students from the city' west sid, are getting ready to leave this week for Costa Rica. This is part of the DPS Community District's 'Career Academies Pathways Program'. Cody High school got a head start on the pathway.

"The pathway right now is for all of our students to have some career focus to prepare our students for college, but also the workforce upon graduation," Principal Michelle Parker explained

For example, Cortez graduated two years ago and because of the "Healthcare" career pathways program at Cody, he is now a Detroit firefighter.

There are seven career pathways programs, that range from business to engineering to healthcare,  law to construction, too. All of Detroit's 22 public high schools will select roughly 3 specialize pathways, in addition to a college pathway.  
 
"We have an array of fields that our students are actually getting paid summer jobs," Parker said

That's because the students did well in the career pathways at Cody and some other high schools.  

"I think it's really great for them - even with the semester that they've had, they've done really well and going abroad, even for eight days, will bring them up from here to here," Cody Spanish teacher Riley Downly said.

Scott Meloeny works with Costa Rica program for career pathways and says the program is uniquely preparing students.

"What's happening at Cody is they are executing on these innovative programs that are giving individuals, hard skills that actually prepare them, and more importantly, put them on an equal playing field when they leave high school and find pathways that can be living wage job in the city of Detroit," Meloeny said.

The students were selected by the teachers to go to Costa Rica.  And the $2500 cost per student is by corporate donations.

The district hopes to have a career pathways program set up for all high schools within three years.