The goal of the event was to inform the current students of the Integrated Manufacturing Advancement Program or I-MAP course, about the local businesses and possible employment opportunities being offered in the fields their coursework had covered.

I-MAP is “an Integrated Education and Training Module, that incorporates 2 skill sets together to assist our students in obtaining employment and/or finding their interests in manufacturing. These skills are workplace readiness and entry-level manufacturing skills,” according to Tony Finn, career navigator & ESL support specialist at the ICNC Career Academy and the instructor of the program.

In conjunction with the 85 hours of instruction the students received in material covering manufacturing-related knowledge in technical math, interpreting blueprints, precision measurements, tools/machinery, and time management, they also received instruction on how to create a resume, proper oral communication skills to prepare them for their mock interviews, and appropriate workplace protocols, according to Finn.

Students participated in the program at no cost to them through the Pathways for Academic Career Employment or PACE program, as well as grants through the Adult Basic Education Department at Iowa Central Community College. These programs make the Integrated and Training Module courses more readily accessible and feasible to the particular students taking the course. Students are mostly made up of working adults who are hoping to add to their skillset in order to obtain more gainful employment within the manufacturing workforce, according to Finn.

— Daily Freeman-Journal photo by Courtney Sogard Erik Hinze from United States Gypsum Corporation, left, interviews one of the students who participated in the Eagle Grove ICNC Career Academy’s Integrated Manufacturing Advancement Program, which is a free course that enables working adults to increase their manufacturing skillset in order to work for companies such as USG.

The three companies provided presentations describing what each of their companies entailed as far as how the actual plant environment and work culture appeared within their facilities. Students then received real world experiences by conducting mock interviews and providing updated resumes to their potential future employers.

“I hope this provides that authentic workforce experience or creates an actual career opportunity for the students,” said Finn. “For some students, this may be their first real conversation with a professional.”