A Closer Look at West Shore Career-Tech
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A Closer Look at West Shore Career-Tech
Tucked inside Lakewood High School is one of the region’s most dynamic and innovative learning opportunities: the West Shore Career-Technical District. West Shore is a career-tech consortium consisting of four area school districts: Bay Village, Lakewood, Rocky River and Westlake. Students in West Shore take all their career-tech classes at Lakewood High School, or some off-site work locations for specific programs. West Shore has been providing students comprehensive career and workforce readiness opportunities for over 50 years.
West Shore Career-Tech director, Yakoob Badat, speaks with sophomore students recently about the many opportunity's at West Shore.
West Shore’s 15 carefully designed programs are specifically tailored to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience required to thrive in today's competitive job market. West Shore goes beyond just imparting job skills, as students also have the opportunity to earn industry credentials and college credits, providing them with a head start in their educational journey.
In addition to the 15 programs, West Shore also offers 11 elective courses, from Fashion Design to Creative Cooking, to Digital Media and Entrepreneurship.
Besides state-of-the-art facilities and resources, West Shore provides invaluable opportunities for industry exposure and hands-on professional experiences. Through strategic partnerships with local businesses and organizations, students gain real-world experience, develop professional networks, and enhance their technical and employability skills through work-based learning opportunities. Some recent internship partnerships for our students have included:
- Lakewood Chamber of Commerce
- Laskey Costello, CPA
- Stepan CPA Firm
- Lakewood YMCA
West Shore administrators are continually striving to bring programs to students that are relevant to the current and future business needs. The two most recent programs, welding and micro-electronic mechanical systems or MEMS, are a great example.
At its Lakewood High offices, West Shore has staff members dedicated to helping students find meaningful career shadowing opportunities, offer students pre-professional services such as resume building and mock interviews and help them design a career or college pathway specific to their interests and passions.
West Shore has also partnered with the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) to develop a state-approved pre-apprenticeship program for career-tech students that focus on hospitality & tourism, finance, and health sciences. The program includes a combination of classroom instruction and on-site and/or off-site hands-on learning experiences.
Students develop essential job skills in the pre-apprenticeships such as:
- Time and resource management
- Social skills
- Judgment and decision-making
- Customer service
- Writing and communication
Sophomore students interested in a West Shore Career-Technical program are encouraged to schedule a tour and submit an application by March 1 for the 2026–2027 school year. Tours offer students the opportunity to see programs in action, meet instructors, and explore how West Shore supports career, college, and workforce pathways.
Sophomore tour dates are scheduled by home school: Lakewood High School students on Thursday, January 22; Westlake High School and Franklin School of Opportunity students on Friday, January 16; and Bay Village and Rocky River High School students on Friday, January 30. Click here to schedule a tour.
West Shore also offers after-school Friday tours for students and families interested in learning more about program opportunities. For additional information, please contact Director Yakoob Badat at yakoob.badat@lakewoodcityschools.org, or visit the West Shore Office or the West Shore Career Center in Room A-217.