The West Shore Career-Technical District program provides students from five local high schools with an innovative learning opportunity. The program serves students from Bay Village, Rocky River, Lakewood, Westlake, and the Franklin School of Opportunity.

Students are part of the program for two years, their junior and senior years. West Shore offers 15 programs and 11 elective courses, with two new programs implemented in the Spring of 2025: Welding and Micro-Electronic Mechanical Systems (MEMS).

At Lakewood, Yakoob Badat serves as the Coordinator of the West Shore program.

“[My role is] to ensure that we’re providing high-quality career tech education to our students, observing our programs, making sure we’re following state mandates and budgeting,” Badat said.

Badat said he hopes to create a student-first culture within the program.

“At the end of the day, this is your high school experience; we want to make sure we’re always looking at what’s best for students and supporting what they’re interested in,” Badat said. “Our goal is to help students become good human beings who can think critically and take advantage of the opportunities we offer.”

Nicole Crislip, the program secretary, manages enrollment for the partner districts and handles data reporting for the Ohio Department of Education. She noted the specialized training that West Shore offers students.

“The very specific training that kids receive in their West Shore programs is unique,” Crislip said. “There are also specific opportunities presented to these kids to start networking and getting into the fields they might be interested in, so they are already gaining work experience.”

​Each class in the West Shore program offers different amounts of high school and college credit, depending on the program. The West Shore program has tech prep articulation agreements with Cuyahoga Community College, Kent State University, the University of Akron, and Ursuline College. The program also has career-technical assurance guides with Ohio University, The Ohio State University, The University of Cincinnati and Cleveland State University. To earn college credit through these schools, West Shore students must complete an end-of-course assessment and achieve a passing score.

“The program depends on the college. There are a lot of variables, but the opportunity is there, and it can be significant,” Crislip said.

The West Shore program also has internship partnerships for its students with local partners such as the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, Stepan CPA Firm, Lakewood YMCA and Laskey Costello, CPA. In the Construction and Trades program, students go to job sites and work on garages and decks for job experience. Earlier this year, the Senior Construction Class worked on a deck for Alexander Cammock, Lakewood High School’s AP European History and government teacher.

“It’s satisfying to make something that you know is going to be used by other people; it gives you a sense of purpose in the community,” said Adrien Tullio, a senior in the West Shore Construction Class.

For many, the program serves as a bridge to their future careers. Kirsten Loyd, a senior in the Sports and Exercise Science program, said the experience solidified her career goals.

“It’s helped me confirm that I do want to go into occupational therapy,” Loyd said. “It gave me a base in knowing that it is something I am interested in.”

Sophomores interested in joining West Shore can attend annual tours held at Lakewood High School. Applications are available via QR codes on hallway flyers or at tinyurl.com/WSAPPLY. For the current cycle, applications are due March 1. More information is available in the West Shore Career Center (Room A217) or the main West Shore office.