Though construction of the new career academy for the Greene County School District hasn’t started yet, the details of the curriculum are underway, as well as a possible new program.

Superintendent Tim Christensen says one of the education strains of the new career academy is going to be advanced manufacturing. With that, Christensen states that he’s visited with several employers in Greene County, along with Iowa Central Community College-which will be running the facility-and the United States Department of Labor, to develop an apprenticeship program.

Christensen points out that the goal of the program is to give students real-world experience by letting them work with those businesses with potential hires following graduation. “The new era I believe that we’re in is businesses coming down and working directly with high school students and connecting with them and essentially recruiting kids while they’re still in high school. To give them that job experience, expose them to what the opportunities are and then get them to come and work for them, and then stay and work for them and hopefully stay in Greene County is the goal.”

The apprenticeship program is still in the planning stages. The new career academy will be ready by the 2020 school year and is being paid for by the Greene County Board of Supervisors for up to $5 million.