Classroom to Career

Sioux Center’s first ever Classroom to Career program is scheduled to begin this September with sixteen educators enrolled from Sioux Center Public and Sioux Center Christian Schools. Classroom to Career is a program designed to help build a bridge between business and educators.  Through attending sessions, hearing from keynote speakers, touring area business and industry partners, and working collaboratively, teachers will continue to develop their professional practice to increase student workplace readiness. The course will be grounded in the 21st century skills outlined in the Iowa Core, specifically employability skills.  This 5-session program will also encourage and enhance business to education partnerships.  The main goals of this program are for the participants to understand the skills needed and opportunities available in today’s workforce, to learn more about the community and its background, and to connect their classrooms with the community through meaningful student learning experiences.
 
Locally, regionally, and state-wide, workforce is an issue affecting almost every business and industry.  Two main causes are that there are not enough people to fill available positions and we are graduating some students that don’t have the skills needed to meet the needs of our current workforce. The Classroom the Career program is designed specifically to address this skills gap and to build strong school to business partnerships.  Educators are a very vital piece of workforce development, and we are excited about the new and renewed partnerships between business and industry that this program will foster.

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