November 22, 2022
In the Fall of 2022, a new course was started to help give students more work-based learning experiences during their senior year. The course was designed to be for seniors who wanted to take part in an internship with a particular business in the career cluster of their choice. Our initial cohort consisted of 16 students who were interested in exploring a variety of interests, including law, healthcare, diesel mechanics, culinary arts, and dentistry.
Nested within this program are two students who travel to Accumold, which is an advanced manufacturing business in Ankeny. Accumold manufactures microplastic parts used in a variety of things such as electronics and healthcare. The two students are taking advantage of a program through the Department of Labor that is similar but different to the Apprenticeship Model. This program they are using is called the Student Learner Model. Bondurant is one of the first school districts in the state to take advantage of this program.
While students will not exit the experience with a credential as they would after an apprenticeship, they will be able to be exposed to a wide variety of positions at Accumold, a business that they would otherwise be unable to complete an internship at during high school. Our two seniors travel to Accumold four days a week for two hours a day to learn more about the process technician, robotics, and tool and die positions. These students have benefited greatly from this partnership with Accumold.
For more information about this and other internship opportunities for students, please reach out to the district's Career Readiness Teacher Leader, Donovan Hill, via email at hilld@bfschools.org.
