By Megan Feeney, Director of Industry & Workforce Collaboration with the Shocker Career Accelerator

When envisioning a career path, most of us imagine something like this:

1. Graduate from high school or obtain GED
2. Attend college
3. Graduate with Certificate or Degree
4. Apply for jobs or attend career fairs
5. Accept a position

We’ve traditionally considered jobs to be the end of the line, a goal to reach after years of schooling. But what if we flipped that model on its head?

Plumbers and pipefitters have been training new members of their industry through apprenticeships for more than 125 years. However, in recent years, like many skilled trades, they have struggled to recruit enough new members to replace those retiring. To combat this challenge, UA Local 441 Plumbers and Pipefitters, based out of Wichita, has gotten creative.

Kansas teachers and parents can help students “try on” in-demand jobs through an innovative career exploration program that delivers activities and resources directly to them.

By Chantelle Simon

The Kansas CTE Scholars program celebrates outstanding students who’ve met several key criteria during the spring of their senior year. Congratulations to this year's recipients! Read more about the program here. 

Public Services

HirePaths has had a whirlwind of a year filming our Cool Careers series of videos to introduce kids in grades 4-8 to in-demand Kansas careers. 

Now that we’ve finished filming our sixth episode (the season one finale), I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped turn this crazy idea into reality. To recap, season one includes:

By Tim Peterson

If you’ve never heard of a micro-internship, you’re not alone. Traditional internships are usually full-time summer assignments or part-time jobs completed during the academic year, and both usually require a considerable investment of time (and often money) by an employer to ensure they’re set up and run properly.

By Caroline Nichols, K-12 Program Manager

Growing up in Wichita, I had no idea about all the career opportunities available in aviation. Now as the K-12 Program Manager at Textron Aviation, I’m blessed to have a job that allows me to connect young people with several programs that can help them find a spark that could lead to an amazing career! 

Growing up, I was greatly influenced by my father, Eddie Anderson, who is an amazing speaker, mentor, church leader, project estimator, construction supervisor and a jack of all trades. Today, he’s highly respected by his peers, community and church. But in high school, he was told, “Eddie, you don’t need to go to college or get a degree to be successful. You can just work off your back.”

Moms, dads, grandparents and guardians, 

In 2015, the Kansas State Board of Education established a new vision for Kansas education — Kansas leads the world in the success of each student. As part of that vision, we want to prepare your son or daughter for life after high school. And we need you to be a part of that journey.