Alpaca pairs up with Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates

When community organizations, employers, and schools team up, new opportunities for students arise. Career development programs in middle schools and high schools across the country offer students time with potential employers alongside real-world training and education from passionate and talented educators, right in their schools. Educators serving nonprofit programs like Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG) are an important part of Iowa’s education ecosystem, filling a role that compliments traditional classroom education with real world experiences. And those educators need support too!

That’s why we are so excited to announce a partnership to support the 155 extraordinary educators working in middle and high schools across Iowa through iJAG, the state’s leader in career development programming which features leadership training, career education, individualized guidance and employer services.

Together, Alpaca and iJAG are creating a support system for their educators that includes staff surveys, regular care packages, recognition for their extraordinary educators, and support for their leadership development conferences.

We couldn’t be more proud to support such a vital, and often unsung role in education through this partnership, and we look forward to learning more about career development programs like it across the country.

Check out two stories of iJAG specialists who are making a difference in the lives of their students through personal connections and student led programming. Their stories inspired our whole team!