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Ivy Tech offering opportunities for high school juniors

Last Updated on May 26, 2015 by cassnetwork

KOKOMO, Ind. – High school students from around Ivy Tech Community College’s Kokomo Region who are part of a federally funded manufacturing technology program sponsored by the college have a variety of opportunities this summer to gain experience, college credit and preparation to take recognized industry certification exams.
And while the 46 participants from the first year of the program funded by the Youth CareerConnect are busy expanding their skills, leaders of Ivy Tech’s Integrated Technology Education Program in the Kokomo Region are busy sharing the opportunity with upcoming high school juniors who are eligible to join the program this fall.
All the activity comes under the umbrella of a $3.2 million grant Ivy Tech Kokomo Region received last year through the federal Youth CareerConnect program of the United States Departments of Labor and Education. The program is designed to expand career education and job training programs for students in area schools, preparing them for good-paying high-demand jobs in the high-tech advanced manufacturing industry. The Youth CareerConnect grant covers the cost of the advanced technology education from the junior year in high school all the way through completion of an associate degree.
“This summer, the ITEP participants will be able to take for-credit classes in welding and basic electricity, along with non-credit courses in quality and maintenance awareness, two requirements to complete the Certified Production Technician program,” said Jennifer Hughes, ITEP adviser. “The CPT credential will certify students have the skills and knowledge needed to take advantage of the internships they will be offered with area manufacturing companies during their senior year in high school.”
The summer program will include field trips to the General Motors plant in Fort Wayne where Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras are assembled as well as Grissom Air Reserve Base where students will visit the metal technology machine shop where parts needed to repair aging planes are custom-fabricated.
“The 46 students enrolled in the first year of the program come from the 13 area high schools and career centers participating in ITEP,” Hughes said. “As they go through the program, they earn college credit along with high school credit and are able to complete a number of certifications valued by prospective employers.
“The program covers the junior and senior years of high school and higher education through an Ivy Tech associate degree,” she continued. “We are talking with students who just finished their sophomore year in these schools and career centers to be sure they consider the opportunities the program offers as they choose their fall semester classes.”

Schools and career centers participating in the program include:

Carroll High School
Eastern High School
Elwood High School
Hamilton Heights High School
Maconaquah High School
Northwestern High School
Peru High School
Tipton High School
Tri Central High School
Western High School
Century Career Center, Logansport
John Hines Career Center, Elwood
Heartland Career Center, Wabash

Hughes noted that the grant covers tuition, fees and books for all the summer classes, as well as for the personal protective equipment (welding helmet and fire/flame resistant clothing) needed for the welding class. “We want them to be safe,” she said, “and we want them to have the equipment they need as they further their education and start their careers.”
The Shielded Metal Arc Welding II class, taught by Ivy Tech instructor Nellie Neal, will meet in the welding lab at Ivy Tech’s Logansport Campus from 6 to 10:50 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 9 to July 30. The Basic Electricity class, taught by Ivy Tech instructor Bob Sovacool, will meet in Ivy Tech’s Technology Building on Touby Pike in Kokomo, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m., from June 9 to July 30, except for the week of June 20 to allow students to participate in Ivy Tech’s robotics camp for high school students.
For more information on Ivy Tech’s programming for high school students offered through the Youth CareerConnect grant, contact Hughes by phone at 765-459-0561, ext. 7283, or by email at Jhughes32@ivytech.edu .

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