March 29, 2024

IWD bolsters future workforce with iJAG grant

Iowa Workforce Development announced a $10,000 grant to the Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG) program last week to support a “quality” pre-apprenticeship program.

The $10,000 grant will be distributed throughout all of Iowa’s iJAG program as part of Gov. Kim Reynold’s mission to make Iowa “future ready” and help 70 percent of the state’s future workforce get training or education beyond high school by 2025.

“The quality pre-apprenticeship program awarded to iJAG from Iowa Workforce Development is both exciting and timely,” Laurie Phelan, iJAG president/CEO said, in a press release. “The iJAG Board of Directors and staff are committed to assuring every student in iJAG, prior to graduation, will have at least one quality work-based learning engagement.”

What is iJAG?

The iJAG program teaches students skills they need to survive after graduation, such as budgeting and interview skills. The teaching style is project based, in which students are given a topic and then work independently or in groups by using their own experience along with what they’ve learned in class to come up with solutions.

iJAG instructor Jerry Hartman said quality pre-apprenticeship programs at Creston Community High School are in the infant stages right now, .

“We do a lot of work with outside entities to try to set [up the apprenticeships],” said Hartman. “Realistically, we want to make it a win-win situation. The company wins because it’s getting an employee that is going to show up on time, they’re going to work hard and if they’re not going to make it, they’re going to let the employer know. Those are the kinds of things we teach in the classroom.”

The apprenticeships could be in any industry from farming to health care to beautician to childcare. While students are in school, they tour local companies, such as Bunn-O-Matic, Greater Regional Health and Precision Optical, to learn what opportunities are available when they graduate. Representatives from local businesses also go to the school to visit with students.

“Basically what we do at iJAG is expose the kids to a lot of different ways to do things,” said Hartman.

The students

iJAG is an elective class at CCHS and students are chosen through an application and interview process much like they would if they would apply for work.

Tristan Travis and Hailey Walter are seniors in the iJAG program who plan on attending college after graduation. They said not only has the program helped them prepare for college, but the skills they learned, budgeting in particular, will help with their every day lives as well.

Travis is entering the ag business program at Southwestern Community College in the fall.

“I think it’s a great program,” said Travis. “A lot of high school students don’t really see how much they’re actually spending each month. They just spend money and don’t keep track of it, but this kind of shows me after high school this is how much I need to be making every month to do what I need to do and this is what I need to cut out of my monthly budget.”

All the other classes are really good for directing students to where they want to go, said Travis, but iJAG program helps prepare them for after high school and college.

“The other classes kind of prepare for college and for your career while iJAG shows you how to take your career and put it in your everyday life,” said Travis.

Walter, who will be studying elementary education at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, said the iJAG program has provided her with information about how to save her money for college.

“We try to work with them a lot with scholarships ... and teach them how to fill out applications, which applies back to the workplace, too,” said Hartman.

Hartman also reminds his students that they have other options aside from college that can lead them to a productive future.

“I’ve got one student who graduated early and he’s going into an apprenticeship program to be an electrician,” said Hartman. “He didn’t go to college, just right into the workforce.”