Several Iowa Legislators, representatives with the Iowa Association of School Boards and other local dignitaries visited the Greene County Career Academy and the high school along Highway 30 in Jefferson Friday.

Among the speakers were Superintendent Brett Abbotts and Iowa Central Community College President Dr. Jesse Ulrich made welcoming remarks, followed by community leader Chris Deal and Greene County Development Corporation President Sid Jones, who told the story of how the newer facility was passed by a bond referendum as well as donations from county and other entities. 

Then Iowa Central’s Dean of Career and Technical Education Neale Adams spoke about their impact with having three career academies in Eagle Grove, Laurens and Jefferson, with a forth one to be built in Storm Lake. He explained how Iowa Central has helped the Greene County Career Academy.

“Basically we’re looking at an opportunity to share career and technical educational opportunities amongst a group of students from different school districts. It’s a prescribed sequence of courses that creates a clear and precise pathway for a student interested in a particular career.    

Following the tour of the entire campus and hearing from students who have taken advantage of college credit classes through the career academy, Iowa House District 47 Representative Carter Nordman gave his overall opinion of the program.

“Well it’s a phenomenal facility and what they do here is really starting to prepare our students as they enter the workforce. As we know we have a workforce shortage here in the state of Iowa and so programs like this is really not only helping our students find high paying jobs after they’re done with their education, but helping our workforce and helping our economy.”      

Abbotts previously told Raccoon Valley Radio one of his goals is to get better exposure of the career academy and showing the entire facility to state legislators was one of the main reasons for putting this event together.