ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Deciding what they want to do with their lives can be difficult for young people, but on Friday, thousands of high school freshmen in the Anchorage School District got a chance to explore the possibilities with a new program underway. I experienced the department. He made his debut.
More than 100 industry-leading companies that are participating in the district’s Academy of Anchorage program, which will hold career academies at local high schools starting next fall, have set up booths at the Denaina Center.
The district’s assistant superintendent, Kersten Johnson, said the expo was designed to help new students decide which career paths to enroll in.
“They can actually talk to the people who do this job every day and, where relevant, see the equipment they’re using,” Johnson said. “These are all part of your decision to choose what interests you when you enroll in classes as a sophomore.”
Academies range from health care to construction, public services to transportation, but not all academies are offered at every school.
Johnson said the academies were selected in part based on a survey of students, parents and staff about the types of career paths they would like to see offered at their schools.
“So it was a combination of student interest, community interest and workforce demand that created our path,” she said. “Because our goal is to really show the opportunities here in Alaska, we wanted to tie in with that job market data.”
Mayor Suzanne LaFrance also attended the expo and said she supports the academy program in hopes of encouraging more young people to stay in Alaska or return home after completing their education.
“We want to keep our young people here,” LaFrance said. “We want them to see this as a place of opportunity where they can live a good life and follow their dreams.”
Johnson said freshmen will be asked to select a career academy this spring when they begin choosing their sophomore courses.
“They always have a chance to change their mind over the summer, but we want to get things done in the spring,” she said. “So we can start developing the course and make sure we have a schedule for the fall.”
Copyright 2024 KTUU. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
