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High school students from the Perham, Battle Lake and Ulen-Hitterdal public school districts took a deep dive into their career interests and explored educational pathways into high-skill, high-paying jobs at the region’s first-ever “Minnesota Works: Exploring Tech and Trades” event, held at �����������ϳԹ�’s Moorhead campus earlier this month. 

Nearly 70 students engaged in immersive learning sessions, hands-on activities and campus tours to become better informed and excited about their future educational and career opportunities, particularly in the fields of healthcare, manufacturing, IT, agriculture, energy, transportation and engineering.

The daylong event was organized in partnership with the Minnesota State Centers of Excellence and was one of only a few such events held to date in Minnesota. Campus and industry leaders were on hand to converse with students and answer questions.

“The intention was to help connect the dots for high school students, to show them what is possible at �����������ϳԹ� and how our academic programs funnel into high-wage, high-demand careers. We also hoped to illuminate career pathways that align with students’ unique interests and aptitudes,” says Megan Adamczyk, director of dual enrollment and academic success at �����������ϳԹ�. “Ultimately, it made an incredible impact. We heard from students after the event that, because of what they learned, they had made up their minds about where they will enroll after high school and what degrees they will pursue.”

“Minnesota Works" included overviews of each of the featured career sectors, followed by two comprehensive, hands-on sessions in two of those sectors, at each student’s choosing. Students also learned about the educational and career resources that �����������ϳԹ�, the state of Minnesota, and the Minnesota State Centers of Excellence have to offer. 

“We’re in the business of preparing learners, either for careers or for continuing on in school to complete advanced degrees,” adds Adamczyk. “Collaborative events like this one, which bring �����������ϳԹ� together with state agencies and local K-12 school districts, help raise students’ awareness of desirable career pathways, improve college-going rates, and increase the number of graduates who enter into high-demand careers. So, this event was beneficial for students, for us, and for our local employers and communities.”