The summer 2025 internship portal will be open from Dec. 16, 2024, through Feb. 7, 2025, for current high school sophomores and juniors. Internships are 40 hours in length and students will earn dual credit.

The Portal III (January) job shadow application window will be open from Jan. 6 – 22, 2025. High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors have the opportunity to explore a variety of careers and gain useful information about what it takes to succeed in different fields in a short two- to four-hour experience. Check back in January to see the broad scope of opportunities available.

Annual Healthcare Expo Exposes Students to a Wide Variety of Health Careers

Last month we held our annual Healthcare Expo at Kirkwood’s Linn County Regional Center. The Healthcare Expo is a large interactive career fair where we bring in area healthcare professionals from many different organizations and specialties, and students within the Kirkwood healthcare academies go table to table, learning more about each career. The event has been a great opportunity for these academy students to network and learn about a variety of career paths in the healthcare field.

The second portion of the event was the Patient Care Showcase, where we invited students from the following area high schools to join us: Alburnett, Center Point-Urbana, Cedar Rapids Home School Assistance Program, City View, Kennedy, Linn-Mar, Marion, Marion Home School, Metro, Mount Vernon, and Xavier. These students are potentially interested in a career in healthcare and/or are interested in joining the Patient Care Academy next year. Students had the opportunity to talk to industry professionals and tour the Patient Care Academy classrooms. The goal of the experience was for students to learn about careers, find one or two they were interested in, and learn about the classes offered at the regional center that could help them get on a path to that career.

In total, 19 businesses/programs participated in the event and nearly 350 students attended the Healthcare Expo. This event was a collaborative project between Workplace Learning Connection and the Linn County Regional College Credit in High School (CCHS) team. We will be replicating this event in Johnson County at the Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of Iowa on Feb. 28, 2025. If you are a healthcare professional interested in hosting a booth at the event, please complete this registration form.

CCA Student Finds Future in Veterinary Medicine Through WLC Programs

Emma Oberg, a Clear Creek Amana senior, finds her passion and charts her post-high school path thanks to WLC programs. But don’t take it from us; hear directly from Emma herself:

What were some of the things you got to do during your internship? What was your favorite part?

I completed my internship in July of 2024 at Bright Eyes and Bushy Tails (BEBT) and I loved every minute of it! I got to help distract the animals during vaccines with treats. I also helped out by grabbing supplies and restocking items. My favorite part of my internship was getting to network and meet more people.

Why did you decide to sign up for WLC programming (job shadows and internships)?

I was so confused about what I wanted to do when I graduated high school and I had heard some friends talking about how they ruled out different careers through the WLC programs, so I thought that I would explore and see what career would be best for me!

How have these experiences helped you explore your career interests?

I discovered that I want to go into the veterinary technician field after completing my job shadow and internship. I only had to complete one job shadow to know that I had found my future career!

How has your internship opened up new opportunities for you.

After my internship at Bright Eyes and Bushy Tails, I was invited to come back to volunteer and learn more about the profession. And actually, just recently, I was hired on as an employee! I love working with the other techs and vets while I get to learn more about my future career.

How have you taken advantage of the Kirkwood College Credit in High School Program?

I will have taken a total of seven Kirkwood classes by the time I graduate high school and will have earned 10 credit hours. That will put me that much farther ahead of my peers and allow me to graduate quicker.

What is next for you?

I have applied for the Kirkwood Vet Tech program and am starting to prepare for the HESI entrance exam. One of the staff members at BEBT even passed along the study guide she bought to prepare for her exam so that I could start looking at what I needed to study. All of the staff members have been really encouraging and have been pushing me to learn all that I can.

Why should your classmates do a WLC internship or job shadow? What are they missing out on if they don’t?

I think that everyone should do a WLC job shadow or internship, regardless of how set they are on a career. If they don’t, they are missing out on the opportunity to make connections in their dream field.

Applications for summer 2025 internships are open now through Feb. 7, 2025, for current high school sophomores and juniors.

Vinton-Shellsburg and Iowa County Career Fairs Provide Opportunity for Career Exploration

In November, WLC hosted two high school career fairs — the Vinton-Shellsburg High School Career Fair and the Iowa County High School Career Fair. More than 700 students in grades 10 – 12 from Vinton-Shellsburg, Williamsburg, HLV, Belle Plaine, English Valleys, and Iowa Valley attended the fairs.

The events gave students the chance to explore a future in healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, construction, business, veterinary medicine, and many other in-demand career fields. Representatives from over 50 area businesses participated in the career fairs, with the intention of making connections with talented teenagers from their local communities.

These career fairs are a few of the largest Iowa and Benton County events out of several organized by WLC throughout the year meant to help students facing postsecondary planning decisions. Aric Chvala from Vinton-Shellsburg High School had this to say about the experience: “By exposing our students to a wide range of career and educational opportunities, we empower them to explore their passions and make informed decisions about their futures. The career fair is a vital step in preparing our students for success beyond high school. We are grateful for the support of our community partners who make this event possible.”

As part of the fairs, students were also able to apply for a WLC second-semester job shadow experience while they were on-site. At the Vinton-Shellsburg fair alone, over 30 students were inspired to sign up for a job shadow after visiting with local employers at the fair. A job shadow provides an additional career exploration opportunity as these students continue to think about their future college and career plans.