The DMACC at Perry VanKirk Career Academy hosted a Skilled Trades Discovery Day Tuesday for iJAG students at the Perry Middle School.
The day introduced skilled trades to the students via several activities, including engaging with the Welding Academy’s welding virtual simulator and learning the fundamentals of electricity.
Students also received an overview of DMACC’s Career Advantage program, featuring testimonials from students Odaly Perla, Macy Killmer and Maddie Morgan. Perla is a junior at Iowa State University, pursuing a career in elementary education. Killmer is a sophomore at DMACC, studying nursing, and Morgan is in the welding program at the VanKirk Career Academy from Ogden.
Each of the Career Advantage students took advantage of free college courses while still in high school that allowed them to explore careers.
Holly Killmer, who directs the Perry Middle School’s Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG) program, and DMACC welding instructor Brent Rowe coordinated the event with the goal of exposing students to career paths in the trades and to get them thinking about college readiness.
The iJAG program provides high-quality, comprehensive drop-out prevention and school-to-work transition services for youth from seventh grade and older across the state. The Iowa program was established in 1999 in order to assist students with multiple barriers to graduating from high school and/or successfully transitioning from high school to continued education and careers.
Through iJAG programs, college, high-school and middle-school students discover their individual talents, develop skills, and seize opportunities to achieve their personal potential.
“Middle school students often don’t know what they don’t know,” Kilmer said. “Showing them options early on can help them make better choices as they go through school.”
A Perry Middle School career day focusing on careers in the health and education fields is planned for May.
