After completing high school, many students have the option of going straight into the workforce, community college, or a four-year institution. With apprenticeships, students can learn valuable skills while getting paid for their work both inside and outside of the classroom. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “Apprenticeship programs keep

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeships have a proven track record of producing strong results for both employers and workers. Apprenticeship programs offer access to hundreds of occupations, in high-growth and emerging industries. Mike Carson, Training Director at Cedar Rapids Electrical Apprenticeship Training and Educational Trust

J.K. Robison has always been curious when it comes to legal matters and knew that she wanted to help others. While completing college, she spent her summers working in law firms as a clerk. She enjoyed working in the small firm environment and knew the field of law was the perfect fit for her. Robison is a 1979 graduate of Linn Mar High School and has been

The Coronavirus pandemic hit the United States in full force March of 2020, just as the team at ESCO Group was finalizing their summer intern candidates. “We always start the internship process each January by visiting colleges in Iowa and sharing this opportunity with students,” said Andrew Vaughn, Senior Recruiter for ESCO Group. The company

Andrew Brundell knew early on that he would pursue a construction career of some kind. He spent many summers working for his father who owns a local custom home company, Allan Custom Homes. Brundell is a 2015 graduate of Linn-Mar High School and is now employed as a Project Engineer at Ryan Companies. “While growing up I had a lot of opportunities to

Joseph DeLarm initially became interested in mechanics in high school where he was able to take a body shop class. DeLarm decided to continue learning about a career in mechanics by taking a Kirkwood Community College Automotive Technology Academy course while still in high school. The academy courses really allowed DeLarm to get a head start learning about

Luke Carson pursued a career in CAD/Mechanical Engineering Technology at Kirkwood Community College after taking a Project Lead The Way course in high school. “I used AutoCAD and other software in the class, I really enjoyed learning how to draw diagrams and prepare engineering drawings” said Carson “and I knew I wanted to pursue a

Chris Williams is not a teacher, but when students at Marion High School voiced interest in taking a welding course, the Hupp Electric Motors welder ventured out of his comfort zone and into the classroom. Williams had never taught before, or even thought about teaching, until an email from the Marion Economic Development Corp. to area businesses asked if