willing to open their doors to allow us to engage students to understand what careers are available locally.” CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION Expanding on the growth of the district’s CTE offerings, Jared Howard, Director of the Patoka Valley Career and Technical Cooperative, representing 9 school corporations in Indiana, details, “We have a local partner, Vincennes University at Jasper. Four or five years ago, we didn’t have any kids on their campus. Now we have over 200 students enrolled there for dual enrollments.” Through this partnership, students can enroll in courses such as criminal justice, construction trades, automation, robotics, health sciences, human and social services, and business operations management. The district also offers welding, automotive, and aviation programs, which are hosted at the high school, another way for students to explore the many possibilities available. “There are a large number of students that are enrolled in our cooperative programs. Many of them have certifications attached to them, and the majority of them have embedded work-based learning,” describes Howard. “We rely heavily on our industry partners and the fantastic partnership with Vincennes University. They provide tremendous opportunities for our students.” STUDENT SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE Sean Jochum, Director of Guidance at Jasper High School, highlights the Greater Jasper Consolidated School District’s commitment to providing personalized support to students. “We’ve got a lot of opportunities at our school and in our corporation,” he acknowledges. “Our job is to give them a little bit of an individualized approach as to what they want to do, and make sure that they are aware of all the opportunities that they have, so they can take full advantage of everything that they have at their fingertips.” He notes that the guidance department helps make 314 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 5, ISSUE 03
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