LAURENS — The first class of students welcomed to the Northwest Career Academy in Laurens for the High School Apprenticeship Program was more than double the size initially expected.

Last week, 20 senior high school students from Sioux Central, Storm Lake, Pocahontas Area and Newell-Fonda school districts started on the Career Academy’s welding or industrial machinist tracks. The program, a partnership with Iowa Central Community College. had only anticipated eight students, based on commitments of two students per district from school administrators’ expectations.

“The interest has been tremendous,” said Emily Williams, marketing coordinator for the Pocahontas County Economic Development Commission. “We are very fortunate to have this outstanding facility in our county so we can be ahead of the curve with apprenticeship programs such as these.”

Pocahontas County Economic Development Commission Executive Director Tom Grau credits that boost to a good fit with Pocahontas County.

“We’re very fortunate here in Pocahontas County to have an industrial base along with other schools participating,” said Grau. “With the industrial base, these programs fit right in. Folks are aware of the fact that jobs (in welding and industrial machinery) are plentiful for moving forward with the interest these students have.”

The two-year program, started when high school students are in their junior year, has a classroom portion along with other hands-on components that give students a practical experience they can grasp right away.

The first year includes work-based learning in a manufacturing business. In the summer between the two years, students complete an internship in a manufacturing facility. In their senior year of high school, students spend half of their time working in businesses.

By the time they graduate, they have 30 college credits under their belt and the ability to enter the work force immediately.

Safeguards for COVID-19 in manufacturing facilities, the academy said, were already ready to go for students entering the program after being implemented by businesses. Students are staggered during classroom time to ensure proper social distancing, making the transition into the first school year during the pandemic easier than it has been for many other schools and programs.

Some protective equipment standard in industrial spaces, like eye wear, has found a second use in protecting from the droplets that spread the novel coronavirus. Mask use is also required.

And the features of the newly repurposed facility of the Laurens High School’s old shop class area — unrecognizable as its former self — make the program a “diamond in the rough” for northwest Iowa since the Northwest Career Academy launched its partnership with Iowa Central Community College in January, Grau said.

Now, students not only have an opportunity to get a head start in their careers, but do so using the latest technology thanks to the partnership.

“There’s a need for four-year college educations, but there’s also a need for advancement in the skilled trades,” said Grau. “In rural America, with the advancement of everything on the technology side, it’s really, really needed.”

“There’s been a push for college education as long as I can remember,” said Williams, “but that has not always a perfect situation for everybody.”

The program fills a need for students who don’t envision themselves getting a bachelor’s degree but would rather get involved in a trade.

And as the economy continues to reel from the effects of COVID-19, Grau said programs like this one are easily able to adapt to shifting needs with an ear constantly to the ground. The facility, which can also be used for adult learners, hopes to be a space for growth and learning as folks in high school and out of high school work to better themselves and gain new skills, Williams said.

“Our hope is that we can meet that need and provide the training we hear is needed out there,” she said.