According to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE), 60 percent of Hoosier jobs in the next decade will require workers to acquire additional education or training after they earn a high school diploma.
Research shows that less than a third of Indiana students who start college actually complete a degree. In response to the challenges students face with college and career access, the Indiana Youth Institute (IYI) is hosting a forum on how to assist students with career exploration. Often, students lack the academic, social or financial preparation to reach degree success on their own.
The forum will feature Stephen Gill, Northwest Regional Outreach Manager for IYI. Gill will discuss and present IYI’s college and career planning tools. He will demonstrate Drive of Your Life (DriveOfYourLife.org), a free, interactive career exploration website designed for students in grades five through nine that has grade-specific information about careers and what education is needed for students to obtain their dream job. He will also provide information about Trip To College (TripToCollege.org) and discuss other programs and services that can help students be successful in advancing their education and job training beyond high school.
The forum will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT on Oct. 2 at the Geminus Building in the basement meeting rooms, 8400 Louisiana St., Merrillville, 46410.
As part of IYI’s Youth Worker Café program, the forum is free and lunch will be served, but reservations are required by noon on Sept. 30. RSVP at www.iyi.org/YWC. Reservations may also be made by contacting IYI Statewide Outreach Manager Debbie Jones via phone at (317) 396-2723 or via email at djones@iyi.org.
Youth Worker Cafés are designed to bring together local youth workers to build relationships and inspire collaborations that will benefit kids. This Youth Worker Café is made possible by the collaborative efforts of Geminus and IYI.
For more information, contact IYI Northwest Indiana Outreach Manager Stephen Gill at sgill@iyi.org.