Troy, Ohio - The Miami County Educational Service Center (ESC) is pleased to announce that, in partnership with the Miami County Business Advisory Council (BAC), all high school students in Miami County now have access to YouScience, a leading career aptitude and interest assessment. Full implementation kicked-off in the beginning of the school year and, to date, 43% of current high school students have completed the assessment.
In 2023, the ESC established the Career Connections team in response to a recommendation from the BAC. Since its creation, the team has engaged directly with students in classrooms, met one-on-one with students to explore career pathways, analyzed programming gaps, and partnered with local employers to align curriculum with workforce needs. By the spring of 2025, it became clear that the full implementation of YouScience in high school classrooms would significantly enhance career readiness programming and the targeted opportunities available to students.
YouScience combines brain games with interest surveys to reveal students' natural aptitudes. It can often uncover strengths a student doesn’t know they had and matches them to real career paths with local demand.
“We have been able to take the ideas from our 75-member BAC and put them into action,” said David Larson, Superintendent, Miami County ESC. “This collaboration is changing the way we think about preparing high school graduates and is setting students up for success in our local workforce.”
The investment from BAC community partners and businesses has enabled the Career Connections team to expand and ensure access to YouScience for every public high school student in Miami County.
Thanks to the combined investment of nearly $30,000 from our local foundations, we are able to expand career-based programming and empower students to explore opportunities that align with their natural talents and interests using YouScience. Our partners for this first full year of implementation include UVMC Community Benefit Grant Fund, Miami County Foundation, The Troy Foundation, The Piqua Community Foundation, and Tipp City Foundation.
Additionally, Edison State Community College quickly saw the value in this programming and responded by committing a significant annual investment to Career Connections. Other funding partners from the BAC include Concrete Sealants, Kettering Health, and Technology First, along with the Miami County Land Bank, Troy Development Council, Troy Area Chamber of Commerce, Tipp City Chamber, Piqua Chamber, and Covington Chamber.
These investors are bridging the gap between education and the workplace through their continued engagement in the Career Connections initiatives. By 2027, our goal is for every graduate to walk away from high school with a personalized YouScience report to help guide their future education and career choices.
For more information about the Miami County ESC Business Advisory Council, Career Connections initiatives, or to learn how your organization can get involved, please visit www.miami.k12.oh.us/page/business-advisory-council or contact Liz Sonnanstine, Business Advisory Council and Career Connections Coordinator at liz.sonnanstine@mcapps.org or 937-339-5100.
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About the Business Advisory Council (BAC):
The Miami County ESC Business Advisory Council fosters collaboration between educators and employers to prepare students for success beyond high school. Through collaboration, the BAC aligns education with workforce needs and provides real-world opportunities such as internships, career exploration events, and industry engagement. The school districts aligned with the BAC are Bradford, Bethel, Covington, Miami East, Milton Union, Newton, Piqua,Tipp City and Troy.
About YouScience:
YouScience is a career-connected learning platform that uses aptitude-based assessments and industry insights to help students discover their strengths and explore career pathways. Learn more at www.youscience.com.
About Miami County ESC:
The Miami County Educational Service Center provides leadership, specialized resources, and collaborative support to meet the individual and collective needs of Miami County school districts to improve learning for all students. Visit www.miami.k12.oh.us