The second-semester internship application portal closed on Oct. 31. We will be working on placements for these students over the next several months. If your organization is interested in potentially hosting a high school intern and helping a student explore careers in your industry, please fill out this volunteer interest form and a WLC team member will be in touch!

Washington County Students Explore Careers and Local Industry at WLC Career Fair

More than 450 high school students from Washington, Mid-Prairie, and Highland explored future career opportunities at WLC’s first Washington County High School Career Fair. The event, held at the Iowa Army National Guard Readiness Center in Washington, was designed to connect students with real-world career opportunities right in their own communities.

This engaging, hands-on career fair connected students with local employers to showcase in-demand careers in healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, business, skilled trades, and more. Twenty-three area businesses participated, providing students with a chance to make professional connections, ask questions, and learn about part-time or postgraduation opportunities.

Engaging area students early plays a pivotal role in economic vitality, especially in more rural communities like Washington County. “Our team is thrilled to bring a new event like this to Washington County,” said Brittany Slaubaugh, business liaison for WLC. “The response from the business community has been amazing. They’re eager to connect with students because workforce development and talent pipelines are top priorities for every industry right now.”

Brittany adds, “This fair allowed students to see the wide variety of meaningful careers available close to home. We want them to envision their futures here in Washington County, because the success of our local workforce depends on engaging and inspiring the next generation.”

Jina Witthoft with Hospice of Washington County participated in the fair and said, “The students were amazing. They asked great questions and were engaged. We really appreciated the opportunity to get in front of these students and start making connections.”

Exposing Students to the Wide Array of Careers in Agriculture

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, over the last few decades, there has been a shift in the agriculture career industry. While the overall number of jobs in traditional farming roles is gradually declining (or at best flat), ag careers in areas such as research and data integration, technology integration, precision agriculture, ag business, ag tourism, and sustainability are seeing strong growth.

Often, when students think of ag careers, they immediately think of traditional farmers harvesting crops and raising livestock. While those roles still exist, students often fail to consider (or are not even aware of) the huge variety of careers that make up the agriculture industry.

Over the last year, WLC has increased the number of job shadow offerings available in the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources pathway. This semester alone, we introduced four new career exploration days:

• Agricultural Tourism: Colony Acres Family Farm
• Alternative Farming Day: Cedar’s Edge Evergreen Market
• Conservation and Natural Resource Management Exploration Day: Wickiup Hill Learning Center
• Horticulture Sciences Career Day: Kirkwood Main Campus

These new days are in addition to a variety of existing popular ag pathway experiences, including:

• Ag Equipment Production Careers: Bazooka Farmstar
• Agriculture & Manufacturing Career Paths: Kinze Manufacturing
• Agriculture Sales Day: Stutsman, Inc.
• Farming-Harvest Experience in Jones County
• Natural Resources Day: USDA

Agriculture remains a vital industry as it works to feed the global population and address climate change, sustainability, and resource constraints. Many roles will evolve rather than disappear, creating new opportunities for people with the right mix of skills.

Raelene Hawkins, a student at HLV High School, attended our Conservation and Natural Resource Management Exploration Day at the Wickiup Hill Learning Center in Toddville. “I learned much more about conservation and all the different jobs that you can have in the field. I liked that I got to hear from multiple different areas, and I got a sense of how all the jobs work together. There is a variety of jobs to consider and choose from.”

Early Career Exploration Paves the Way for Veterinary Student’s Success

Hayley Peters, a 2020 graduate who participated in WLC’s job shadow and internship programs, perfectly illustrates how exploring careers in high school can set you up for success after graduation.

While attending high school, Hayley completed a WLC-coordinated job shadow and internship with North Liberty Pet Clinic. “I went into my job shadow with the idea that I might want to have a career in veterinary medicine, and even after that short, couple-hour job shadow, I came out knowing for sure that was what I wanted,” Hayley says.

“I took full advantage of my job shadow day to make connections with the folks at the clinic and network with the veterinarians and staff. That connection was why I was invited back to do an internship, where I deepened my relationship with the clinic and further demonstrated my work ethic and desire to move up in the field. My WLC internship allowed me to shadow veterinarians throughout their days, during both appointments and surgeries. I was also able to perform basic tasks like preparing vaccines, taking medical histories, and operating bloodwork machines and the microscope.

“I was 15 when I completed my internship,” Hayley says. “Before I left, I discussed with the practice manager the possibility of a part-time job once I turned 16. She said yes, and on my 16th birthday I went back to the clinic and asked for a job. I’m now going on seven years working at the clinic, and they have seen me through high school, undergrad, and now three years of veterinary school.”

After graduating from high school, Hayley went on to get her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from the University of Iowa. She graduated in 2023 and started veterinary school at Iowa State University that same year. Hayley is now in her third year of veterinary school and planning for her fourth-year clinical rotations.

“Nearly all of my recommendation letters for vet school were from connections I made while working at North Liberty Pet Clinic, a job I may not have had if it were not for my WLC experiences. Because I began my relationship with the clinic so young, they watched me grow and learn for years, and that led to excellent recommendation letters and a strong veterinary school application, with far more than the required amount of veterinary experience,” Hayley says.

“Without a doubt, the connections are the biggest benefit I gained from participating in the WLC programs. It is so important to have people in your chosen industry who can vouch for your work ethic and character. It makes moving up, either in education or the workforce, much easier and more accessible.

“Making a career choice is a big step,” Hayley says, “and it can have a huge impact on where you allocate your time and money in the upcoming years as you pursue higher education and training opportunities. Exploring careers in high school is such a great, low-commitment way to find out what you’re looking for in a career before making some of those bigger decisions. Whether you think you know what you want to do or you have no idea, jumping into a career for a couple of weeks or even just a day can remove some of the mystery around that industry and give you a feel for where you can best apply your talents and have the kind of lifestyle you want in the future.”

Once she receives her DVM, Hayley would like to practice shelter medicine and possibly become board certified by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.