Career Exploration & Early College Prepare Students for Success

A robot, CPR mannequin, farm animals and a restored ’48 Chevy pickup will be among the hundreds of interactive exhibits under one roof as part of an experiential career investigation event November 1 and 2 for area eighth and ninth graders.

MiCareerQuest Southwest, sponsored by Kalamazoo Regional Educational Services Agency (KRESA), invites students from all nine Kalamazoo County school districts to talk with experts in a variety of fields while learning to operate and work with the actual tools, equipment and technology. Over 6,000 students are expected to attend the two-day event.

More than 50 local businesses, industries and post-secondary partners – including Kalamazoo Valley Community College – will fill the Kalamazoo County Expo Center to showcase careers in the following career pathways:

• Arts & Communication
• Business, Technology & Human Services
• Engineering & Manufacturing
• Health Sciences & Natural Sciences

Kalamazoo Valley will be front and center with information and interactive displays in a variety of growing fields, including automotive technology, welding, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning, Emergency Medical Technology, dental hygiene and respiratory care as well as some of its Career Academies.

“We are able to expose students to types of careers that they might not be exposed to anywhere else,” David Brock, an instructor in the Engineering, Design & Manufacturing Technology (EDMT) department at Kalamazoo Valley Community College said. “Very few middle or high schools offer industrial arts anymore but there is a growing need for people in the skilled trades.” Brock and 10 members of the EDMT department will bring a welding simulator and CNC machinery for students to learn hands-on. Students will be able to use the machinery – competing against one another for precision and accuracy as well as designing their own small parts to take home from the event.

The College’s Career Academies, which include the Wind Turbine Technician Academy and the Mechatronic Technician Academy, will also have a presence at the event bringing a robotic arm that students can manipulate and wind turbine safety gear to try on, according to Ben Ash, program coordinator for the Groves Campus.

Career Academies, Ash explained, are skill-focused, employer-driven training programs that prepare students for in-demand jobs in growing and diversified industries.

Students aren’t the only ones who are able to experience MiCareerQuest Southwest. Parents are invited to attend November 1 from 5-8 p.m. to learn more about the Early/Middle College (EMC) program.

The EMC program allows students to earn a free associate degree or certificate by completing a fifth year of high school. Students delay high school graduation for one year while they take college courses at Kalamazoo Valley. Tuition and fees are paid by the local school district.

EMC expands on dual enrollment, and builds upon classes already offered through Education for Employment (EFE) and Education for the Arts (EFA). Students take courses at Kalamazoo Valley campuses, but may also take Kalamazoo Valley courses on their high school campus (in certain school districts), or through EFE and EFA. Programs are available in the following areas for the 2016-2017 school year:

Transfer Degrees (62-63 credits)
• Associate of Arts
• Associate of Science Associate of Applied Science (62-72 credits)
• Accounting
• Administrative Assistant
• Culinary Arts & Sustainable Food Systems
• Graphic Design
• IT Support Technician
• Machine Tool Technology Certificates (30-32 credits)
• Graphic Design
• Machinist

Certificates of Achievement (10-18 credits)
• Auto Brakes
• PC Support Technician
• Welding

On the evening of November 1, Dr. Deborah Coates, Kalamazoo Valley’s dean of instruction, Early/Middle College, will present information about the program and answer questions from families who may be interested in participating in EMC.

EMC, Coates explained, is designed to help students get a head start on whatever they decide to do after graduating from high school, whether that’s going into the workforce or continuing on with their education. “Education is evolving and this is part of it. Early/Middle College prepares students for the world and makes sure they have as many options as possible,” Coates said. “Early/Middle College is a great opportunity – academically and economically – for students in Kalamazoo County.”

For more information about MiCareerQuest Southwest, visit www.micareerquestsw.org.

For more details about EMC, visit www.kvcc.edu/earlycollege.