Caleb Amick, The Herald Bulletin
April 12, 2023
ANDERSON — Juniors and seniors have the opportunity to take classes while earning a wage and obtaining manufacturing credits from Ivy Tech Community College.
Jason Neal, Career and Technical Education (CTE) Director for D26 Career Center told Anderson Community School Board about this opportunity during Tuesday’s meeting at the Central Office.
Juniors and seniors taking the Advanced Manufacturing course through D26 have the opportunity to apply their learning via a part-time job/ internship at Nestle.
Angli Konsa, an HR Generalist at Nestle, also spoke. Konsa told the school board Nestle and D26 began forming this “pre-apprenticeship” program last July.
As of Tuesday, the program has its first group or “cohort” of students. Though normally consisting of six, this group will consist of three current seniors. However, Neal said, they hope to have their first round of juniors before the school year ends.
The goal is to provide students an opportunity to learn about and explore manufacturing as a possible career path, Konsa said in a separate interview.
Students in the program, whether juniors or seniors, will have their days split in half; one will be spent at their high school doing coursework, the other at Nestle and/ or D26.
Neal agreed, saying if all goes well, graduates could be hired on full-time with benefits. He said Nestle is a well-known company with opportunities for upward mobility.