Westport High School student Isabella Powierski wants to be sure nursing is really for her before she dives in. Trent Souza is considering college, but wants to learn more about the trades in case he decides a traditional secondary education isn’t for him. And Celina Torres loves science but wants to test the waters before she decides her next step.

A new program launched Friday after three years of work promises to give them, and 21 others from eighth grade up, a head start as they decide what they want to do after high school.

Two dozen Westport students have enrolled in Westport Community Schools’ “Innovation Career Pathways” program, a new program that helps students explore career options for in-demand industries like healthcare and manufacturing while earning high school credit and completing internships. It’s open to eighth graders through high school seniors, and offers real-world experience to students who want an education that prepares them for real-world jobs.

So far, school officials have established two pathways under the program — healthcare and social assisting, and advanced manufacturing. Of the 24 students recognized for enrolling at Friday’s “induction” ceremony, four students are enrolling in advanced manufacturing, with the balance going into the healthcare/social assisting pathway.

Friday’s induction was a long time coming, principal Laura Charette said, and represents a substantial shift in education in Westport.

“We imagined a Westport where our students didn’t have to wait until college or beyond to discover their true calling,” she said. “It represents a fundamental shift in how we prepare our students for success,” she told students Friday. “You are choosing a path that combines rigorous academics with real world experience. You will earn credentials that matter.”

The program is rigorous. Students in each pathway must take at least two technical and two advanced courses from a list including physics, pre-calculus and other options. Following that, there are targeted coursework requirements for grades 9, 10, 11 and 12, including a 100-hour internship, their senior year.

Most of the students enrolled are in the 10th grade or lower, so few will be starting their internships this coming year.

Those who will, though, have options:

School officials have developed partnerships with Southcoast Health, St. Annne’s Hospital and UMass Dartmouth in the health pathway, and Five Star Companies out of New Bedford in the advanced manufacturing pathway.

Curriculum director Holly Hargraves hopes that as more students become familiar with the pathways program in the coming years, the list of offerings will grow. For now, she is excited to see the first group of students as they start to learn.

“We’re very excited,’ she said.