570 Dubois County Freshmen Step Inside Local Careers During Tour of Opportunity

For 570 ninth-grade students from all four Dubois County high schools, Wednesday's Tour of Opportunity was an opportunity to step inside local workplaces, meet the people doing the work and begin thinking about what their own futures could look like.

Students from Jasper, Forest Park, Northeast Dubois and Southridge high schools selected one of eight career pathways based on their interests. The day began with a general session challenging students to approach the experience with curiosity and an open mind, using what they learned to help make their next right decision.

From 10:00 to 11:45 a.m., students traveled throughout the community for hands-on job-shadow experiences with 22 industry and community partner organizations. Collectively, those organizations mobilized an estimated 220+ local professionals to introduce students to careers available in their community.

“The goal isn't for a ninth grader to leave this day knowing exactly what they want to do for the rest of their life,” said Dana Kunz, Director of Workforce Readiness for Hub 19, Inc. “Our goal is to give them experiences, connections and information that help them make their next right decision. Today, 570 students had the opportunity to see possibilities they may not have known existed and to learn directly from the professionals doing this work every day.”

The eight pathways included Health and Human Services; Manufacturing, Engineering and Welding; Business, Technology and Entrepreneurship; Arts, Design and Communication; Construction and Automotive; Agriculture; Public Service, Safety and Hospitality; and Education.

Throughout the morning, students toured manufacturing floors, tried medical equipment, interacted with construction professionals, saw technology in action and talked directly with people working in careers they may one day pursue. At Deaconess Memorial Medical Center alone, more than 20 professionals helped students explore a variety of healthcare careers.

Following the morning job-shadow experiences, students returned to the Vincennes University Jasper campus, where afternoon sessions highlighted Career and Technical Education programs available during high school as well as postsecondary education and training opportunities.

Tour of Opportunity is a collaboration among Hub 19, Inc., Vincennes University Jasper, Dubois Strong Economic Development and Patoka Valley Career Cooperative. The event required six months of planning, 14 buses and 28 chaperones. More than 600 pizza lunches were served before students began their afternoon sessions.

“This is what workforce readiness looks like when a community does it together,” Kunz said. “Hundreds of professionals invested in our students today. Students can't aspire to careers they don't know exist. When our employers open their doors and our professionals share not only what they do, but how they got there, we give students a much clearer picture of what is possible right here in our own community.”

The Tour of Opportunity is part of Hub 19's broader work to build sustainable partnerships between education and industry and create clear career pathways for students throughout Dubois County.