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Forming our future workforce

Schools by themselves cannot instill the complex set of skills and abilities that adequately prepare students for their future careers and civic life. It takes resources and knowledge that come from broader parts of the community. For example, with employer engagement, education may more adequately reflect the career preparation and training needed for current and emerging industries. Likewise, local community organizations can also be partners in engaging students civically. The Growth Alliance’s Workfroce Development Committee strives to create an ecosystem between the local schools and employers to expose teachers, students and their families to a broad range of careers.

Below are just a few.

Career Academy

Students from Fort Dodge, St. Edmond, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, Eagle Grove, Humboldt and Webster City travel to Iowa Central Community College’s Career Academy in Eagle Grove to take classes in a specific career pathway. These specific classes allow students to either transfer these college credits into an academic program at the post-secondary level or seek employment. Students have the opportunity to explore a career path that interests them while attending high school. These career pathways are designed to lead into multiple college programs giving the most flexibility to students who participate. The current pathways are business, computer science, engineering technology, health sciences, liberal arts-transfer, manufacturing technology and teacher academy. Students are not charged tuition or textbook fees and are awarded a $500 scholarship to Iowa Central if all coursework is successfully completed.

IJAG

IJAG is the premier non-profit organization connecting business and education to provide the most cost-effective dropout prevention and school-to-career solutions in Iowa. Students in the iJAG program have trouble making it in a conventional classroom because of the distractions and barriers at home, outside the classroom or even inside the classroom. Relying on real world, project-based instructional methods and an unconventional approach to personal connections with students, the iJAG teaching specialists work within conventional learning environments to help remove barriers ad show students how to achieve the next step of their career or education.

Career on Wheels

Career on Wheels is an incredible learning experience in which over 1,000 fifth grade students in our region attend. Students have the opportunity to learn about different careers that involve a a set of wheels in their community by touring the vehicle and meeting the drivers.

Career classroom speakers

How many times has a student said ”When am I going to use this?” Classroom speakers can be a great supplement to bring the world of work into the classroom. Business professionals share their career path and experience with a small group or an entire classroom. Speakers can open students to opportunities they may never have considered and inform them about educational and experiential requirements for a particular career field.

Kelly Halsted is the economic development director for the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance.

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