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MARSHALL -- Getting high school students ready for their futures after graduation is an ongoing task at the district, Marshall Public Schools staff said this week.
"We do a lot of things here in Marshall that are related to careers," said Dan Hoffman, assistant principal at the Marshall Alternative Learning Center and Career and Technical Institute.
At Tuesday's Marshall School Board meeting, Hoffman and community engagement coordinator and CEO program facilitator Shanda Walker gave board members an update on career development programs in Marshall.
Hoffman said a lot of the district's career development efforts are focused on the high school and middle school grade levels.
"But there's always areas that we can improve on," Hoffman said. For example, MPS currently doesn't offer development programs for construction careers yet. Another area where MPS hopes to improve career exploration opportunities is at the Alternative Learning Center, he said.
Hoffman said MPS had been approved for grants to help add a PAES (Practical Assessment Exploration System) lab at the ALC.
Currently, Marshall Middle School has a PAES lab, which allows students to learn about and practice skills from different career pathways.
"We get that introduction here (at MMS), so some of the students have had it here, but we need to try to push them a little bit further into that senior-level exploration," Hoffman said. "Hopefully we can create a new careers course using the PAES lab, as a way to get them to look forward to something after graduation."
Hoffman said the new PAES lab should be up and running by next school year, or possibly by this spring.
Walker said that her work as community engagement coordinator has also been geared toward helping students learn about "the full gamut" of potential career opportunities available to them.
"A lot of industries, especially in the trades, are finding that they are not going to have enough people to replace them as they start to retire," she said. Other industries can get students on a career path without a four-year degree, she said.
"At the ALC, we've had approximately 15 to 20 guest speakers a year," Walker said. "At the high school, we have career speakers per grade, once a month."
Marshall students also have internship opportunities available to them, Walker said. Some of the district's partners have included Avera, Southwest Minnesota State University, and Western Equipment Finance.
Walker said work-based learning has also been a great opportunity for Marshall students.
"We work with employers who are willing to train students," while the student earns high school credit, she said.
Walker also talked about the ways that the CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) program has been affecting students in Marshall and the surrounding region. The CEO program, which is founded by area business investors, gives high school students an up-close look at different local businesses. Students also develop their own businesses as a final project for the program.
This year's CEO class includes 11 high school juniors and four seniors from schools in Lyon and Murray counties, Walker said.
It's not finalized yet, but Lyon and Murray CEO will be expanding and undergoing a name change in the future, Walker said. With RTR High School joining the program, the chapter will become Buffalo Ridge CEO, she said.