Creating Pathways to the Future

Located just outside Pittsburgh in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Norwin School District serves more than 5,000 students across seven schools. While the region has long been associated with the steel industry, local educational leaders such as Norwin’s director of secondary education and assessment, Dr. Rocco Tellie, recognize that the world students are graduating into looks very different today.

“Pittsburgh’s not just the steel industry,” said Tellie. “There’s medical opportunities, there’s technology opportunities, there’s engineering opportunities, and we feel like there’s no one better to fill those positions than our kids who are currently here right now.”

As the region’s economy has evolved, so have the opportunities available to students. But for many years, the traditional path for graduates was often the same — leave the area for college and build careers somewhere else. Norwin’s leaders decided it was time to break that cycle and create a plan that prepares students not just for graduation, but for futures that also strengthen the workforce needs of the communities they call home.

“We want to keep our kids in our area,” said the district's workforce development coordinator Laura Swick. “We want them to explore as many opportunities here in our region as possible so that we can grow our own workforce.”

That goal has sparked a districtwide shift in how Norwin approaches career readiness, workforce development, and future-focused instruction.

Preparing Students for an AI-driven Future

As Norwin expanded opportunities for its students to gain job-ready skills and workforce preparation, district leaders also knew their classroom instruction needed to evolve to prepare its graduates for the modern workplace.

Artificial intelligence was one area that really immediately stood out.

Students were already talking about AI. Businesses were already using AI. Employers were already asking for AI-related skills. Norwin’s leaders realized their students needed opportunities to better understand the technology shaping their future careers.

That led the district to launch an Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course using Savvas CTE curriculum.

“Our students see that AI will be a part of their future for sure,” said Assistant Superintendent Heather Newell. “Offering a dedicated course at the high school level was the natural next step.”

Rakvic, who teaches computer science and cybersecurity courses, saw firsthand how quickly AI was becoming essential across industries.

“Whether we like it or not, AI is touching all different areas,” he said. “Every career is going to use AI to make people more efficient.”

But Norwin’s goal was never simply to teach students how to use AI tools. The district wanted students to understand how AI works, how to use it ethically, and how to think critically about the technology itself.

“We don’t want students to be afraid of AI,” Swick said. “We want them to embrace it responsibly.”

The Savvas CTE Introduction to AI course gave Norwin a flexible, engaging way to do exactly that.

District leaders appreciated that the curriculum aligned with industry-recognized certification opportunities and integrated seamlessly into their existing systems. Teachers valued the flexibility of the materials and the ability to adapt lessons to student needs. Students responded to the interactive, real-world approach.

“One of the reasons we chose the AI product is because it’s engaging,” Swick said. “Students are into the program. It catches their eye and pulls them in.”

The course is already helping students connect classroom learning to future careers in fields ranging from healthcare and business to engineering and technology.

In fact, local companies have already begun reaching out to Norwin looking for students with AI knowledge.

“We actually had a local construction company ask if we had students knowledgeable in AI who could help improve their productivity and advertising,” Swick shared.

Building Pathways Beyond “College for All”

Teaching students about emerging technologies is only one piece of the puzzle. Norwin’s leaders have also worked to expand students’ exposure to careers and industries across the region, helping them see a wider range of possibilities for their future.

For many years, the traditional path for graduates followed a familiar pattern: finish high school and either attend college and build a career elsewhere or remain in the area where many young people found work in the local steel mills. At their peak, the mills in the greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area produced more steel than anywhere else in the world. However, with the collapse of the vast majority of its historic mills several decades ago, some 150,000 local steel mill jobs were lost.

Since then, the region has transformed into a knowledge and tech-driven economy with a range of diversified industries such as healthcare, higher education, robotics, and research and development. Recognizing the growth of these fields in their community, Norwin’s educators developed a plan to help their students better understand the wide range of opportunities available to them and empower them to make informed decisions about their futures.

“We’re trying to get our students as much exposure as possible to potential career fields,” said Telli. “Not just classroom-based exposure, but real-world job-shadowing, internships, guest speakers, and actually getting them out into the community.”

The district began rethinking how students discover career pathways by first asking: What do students actually want for their future?

“We have to take a step back,” said teacher Ray Rakvic. “What are they going to enjoy doing for the next 40 or 50 years? What sparks them? Then you figure out the pathway.”

That mindset led Norwin to create a dedicated workforce development program designed to connect students directly with local industries and career experiences. The district created a new workforce development coordinator position to help build partnerships with businesses, healthcare organizations, manufacturers, and technology companies across the Pittsburgh region.

“We have very strong healthcare, manufacturing, energy production, and trade industries here,” explained Swick, who was hired as the new workforce development coordinator for the district. “Many of those workers are nearing retirement, and companies are telling us they need people to replace their workforce.”

Today, Norwin students participate in internships, field experiences, job-shadowing opportunities, and industry presentations that help them explore careers while still in high school. Students are even earning paid internships and industry-recognized certifications before graduation.

And perhaps most importantly, students are beginning to better understand what they want their futures to look like.

“We’ve seen students confirm, ‘Yes, this is definitely what I want to do,’” Swick said. “But we’ve also seen students realize maybe they want something different. That’s valuable too.”

Seeing Students Take Ownership of their future

Although Norwin’s workforce development efforts are still growing, district leaders are already seeing meaningful changes in student engagement and confidence.

Students are increasingly seeking out internships and career experiences on their own. Interest in workforce opportunities has nearly tripled in just one year.

Teachers are bringing more industry professionals into classrooms. Students are asking deeper questions about careers and career pathways. And many are beginning to think differently about success itself.

“One of the most exciting parts is the student agency piece,” Newell said. “Students are recognizing the applicability of skills and understanding the modern workforce at a high school age.”

For Norwin, that shift matters because the district sees workforce readiness as bigger than employment statistics or certifications. It is about helping students build lives they are excited about.

“We want kids to be successful, but we also want them to be happy,” Swick said. “We want them to like what they’re doing.”

And by combining meaningful workforce experiences with future-focused instruction like AI education, Norwin is helping students build futures that feel both achievable and relevant — while also strengthening the future of their community in the process.