Mobile Innovation: Rebuilding JRTI’s Career Center on Wheels
In rural communities, access to career exploration isn’t guaranteed. Too often, students are left imagining their futures from behind a desk, with little hands-on exposure to the real tools, trades, and technologies shaping the modern workforce. At James Rumsey Technical Institute, we set out to change that—by completely redesigning our mobile career center from the wheels up.
What began as an outdated trailer became a sleek, student-ready mobile lab that now travels to every middle school in Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties. I led the full redesign and rebuild of this unit, turning it into a future-forward career exploration space that brings opportunity directly to students, wherever they are.
A Trailer Reimagined
The original mobile career center had great bones, but it needed a total overhaul to meet modern instructional and engagement standards. We stripped the unit down to the frame and started fresh. Our goal was to create something that felt more like a tech lab and less like a utility trailer.
Inside, we installed:
Custom steel workbenches and modular learning bays
Durable flooring, improved insulation, and climate control
LED lighting, underglow effects, and touchscreen displays
Rotating industry stations aligned to high-demand career clusters
The space was laid out intentionally to support middle school engagement. Each learning bay features short, skill-based tasks designed to give students a taste of real-world careers—from assembling a circuit to using a stethoscope on a manikin.
The Build Process
I managed the entire construction process, working with contractors and instructional staff to sequence the work, select materials, and ensure program alignment. Every inch of the layout was designed with both movement and instruction in mind.
We added:
Full rewiring to support plug-and-play devices and LED signage
Climate-ready HVAC and ventilation for year-round deployment
Custom storage cabinets and power stations for flexible use
Wall-mounted resources aligned to each of West Virginia’s CTE clusters
This wasn’t just about making it look new. It was about creating a highly functional, mobile-ready unit that can roll into any parking lot and offer an immediate, meaningful learning experience.
Why It Matters
The redesigned JRTI Mobile Career Center isn’t a concept—it’s already on the road. It visits every middle school in our three-county service area, making regular stops for career exploration events, family engagement nights, and CTE recruitment activities.
For many students, this is the first time they’ve ever touched a tool used by a paramedic, engineer, or technician. That hands-on moment—inside a trailer in their own school parking lot—can change everything.
We believe that access should never depend on where you live. This project proves that with the right design, leadership, and investment, rural schools can meet students where they are and help them see where they can go.
And we’re just getting started.