News Release: Newton Students Capitalize on Summer Career Prep Opportunities

Participants in the Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas (JAG-K) program at Newton High School are taking advantage of higher education classes this summer to set themselves up for successful futures.

JAG-K provides opportunities for students to explore careers through employer engagement relationships. Those experiences may include field trips, job shadows, internships and summer or part-time employment. 

In the case of the students in Newton, they are benefitting from training programs offered by local partners.

Two recent graduates and one rising senior got paid to earn manufacturing and construction certifications through the Hutchinson Community College FAST Track program (Future Apprenticeship Success Training). The students were paid $10 an hour to attend three weeks of all-day courses, receiving free lunches and a stipend for transportation.  

“What an incredible opportunity for those students,” said Dede Trumble, Career Specialist at Newton High School. “Two of them were in the manufacturing track and one in construction in the track. Both of the recent grads were hired by Kansas Electric as apprentice electricians thanks to the training and certifications received through HCC FAST Track.” 

Similarly, two Newton students participated in a brand-new patient care technician training program through NMC Health in June. The five-week course trained students in critical patient care. They were paid $13.23 an hour during the training. The students were given hospital rotations and job shadows in labor and delivery, surgery, rehab and medical care at the hospital. 

“As patient care technicians, these students are now certified to perform technical tasks for patient care such as feeding, bathing, moving, catheter care, and monitoring vital signs which are very much in demand,” Trumble said. “They can work part time while in school and continue to add to their training before graduating high school.” 

It was a good experience seeing different companies and what they had to offer,” said Juan Gonzalez Castillo Jr., a rising senior at Newton High School. “I am thankful to JAG-K for showing me this great opportunity. I had a good time and made some new friends, too.”

JAG-K is a multi-year, in-school program for students in grades 6-12 that offers tools to successfully transition students into post-secondary school, the military, or directly into the workforce with marketable skills.

Trumble said one of the most important things JAG-K can do is connect students to employment opportunities they might not have learned about on their own.

“By introducing students to employers and continued-education opportunities, they have a far greater chance of success after high school,” Trumble said. “I invite guest speakers into the classroom and take advantage of doing many college visits and industry tours. Former JAG-K students are also a great resource. By tapping these resources, we give students a broad view of opportunities.”

Kansas’ 112 JAG-K programs serve approximately 6,000 students in 47 school districts across the state. Participants in the program face multiple barriers to success that their JAG-K Career Specialist helps them overcome through a nationally-accredited, evidence-based model. Last year more than 900 JAG-K participants graduated from high schools across the state.

The 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization is a state affiliate of the national JAG program network which operates in 38 different states and territories. It is primarily funded through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant to the State of Kansas administered by the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF). In addition to school districts and DCF, JAG-K partners with the Kansas Department of Education. Other JAG-K funding sources include ADM, AT&T, EagleU, Goldstein Charitable Trust, the JB and Anne Hodgdon Foundation, Honeywell, John Deere, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Kansas Gas Service, the Kansas Insurance Department, the Office of the Kansas State Bank Commissioner, United Way of Kaw Valley, United Way of the Plains, U.S. Bank and Walmart.

To learn more about JAG-K, visit  www.jagkansas.org , ‘Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas’ on Facebook, and on Twitter at @JAG_Kansas.

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