Kalamazoo RESA

Happy National Apprenticeship Week! This year marks the 10th Annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), which will take place from November 17-23! In celebration of NAW, our Career Connect team will be hosting a VIRTUAL Apprenticeship Information Session on Thursday, November 21, from 4 to 4:45 p.m. This short session is designed to provide more information about apprenticeships, some of our programs, ways to get connected, and hear from young people who are currently engaged in apprenticeship programs. Open to all ages! Click here to join the virtual Apprenticeship Information Session on 11/21 from 4 to 4:45 p.m..: https://lnkd.in/gjPxm-49 Learn more about our career pathway planning programs at kresa.org/findyourpath #KRESA #CareerConnect #GetCareerConnected #ExploreEngageExpereince #NationalApprenticeshipWeek #MyCITY #CareerNOW #2Gen #CareerCoaching #WorkBasedLearning

KRESA Career Connect is excited to welcome Kaiser Aluminum as a Founding Investor of the Career Connect Campus! This partnership will help students #GetCareerConnected! “Kaiser Aluminum is proud to partner with KRESA and the Career Connect Campus to empower tomorrow's workforce with essential skills and opportunities. Together, we are fostering the growth and success of our community and industry.” - Anders Lairet-Sorensen, Plant Manager - Kaiser Aluminum Kalamazoo Thank you, Kaiser Aluminum! #KRESA #CareerConnect #CommunityPartners #GetCareerConnected #ExploreEngageExperience

Just look at the size of this amazing group of Career Champions during the meeting at Stryker! During the meeting, Career Champion teams worked on various career exploration and awareness projects from career fairs to curriculum alignment, all with the common goal of increasing and integrating young people’s career awareness, exploration, and preparation. Career Champions are K-12 educators and other youth-serving partners who commit to a year-long series of trainings, reflections, workshops, and customized career readiness projects in their districts. The Career Champions program was originally launched in 2021 by Kalamazoo RESA Career Connect’s Career Awareness and Exploration (CAE) team, thanks to generous financial support from Stryker. This year’s 2024-25 cohort includes eighteen teams representing several districts across Kalamazoo County as well as nonprofit partners and ISDs in other counties. Thank you to Stryker for the generosity and hospitality and for sharing about its Career Right Here program! #KRESA #CareerConnect #CareerChampions #ExploreEngageExperience #GetCareerConnected #CareerExploration

CUTENESS ALERT! This semester, our CTE Veterinary Science class has taken in a litter of stray kittens. The students will provide routine medical care as well as foster care and socialization, and eventually find permanent homes for the kittens. Learn more about CTE classes and other high school courses and programs at the KRESA Career Connect Open House on Dec. 3, 2024, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Air Zoo! kresa.org/careerconnect #KRESA #CareerConnect #GetCareerConnected #ExploreEngageExperience #CTE #VeterinaryScience

November is National Career Development Month. Celebrate by participating in the 59th Annual National Career Development Association Poetry & Art Contest. Learn more: www.michcda.org/pac.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS--! Discover the many free educational opportunities available at the Kalamazoo RESA (KRESA) Career Connect Open House on Tuesday, Dec. 3, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Air Zoo, 6151 Portage Rd. Learn more about this exciting event: https://bit.ly/3YSeHc7 #KRESA #CareerConnect #ExploreEngageExperience #GetCareerConnected

Recently our EFA Dance students had the opportunity to take part in a traditional Chinese ribbons workshop offered with Nai Ni Chen Dance Company. Later, the students were able to attend the dance company’s performance at Miller Auditorium through the Education for the Arts’ EFA Presents! program. EFA is celebrating 30 years of bringing the arts to learners in our local districts. Learn more about these artists, the EFA Presents! program and their full calendar of events here: https://bit.ly/4hxYUYu

We are hiring Associate Teachers and Classroom Aides! Earn a signing bonus of up to $2,500 as an Associate Teacher and up to $1,000 as a Classroom Aide, working alongside passionate lead teachers in 3-4-year-old classrooms. Assistance earning needed credentials is offered! Learn more and apply now at www.kresa.org/jobs.

Construction of the Career Connect Campus is moving forward, soon to become a world-class Career & Technical Education (CTE) center for Kalamazoo County. Check out the October fly-over video of the construction site to see the latest progress! The Kalamazoo RESA Career Connect Campus is set to open for the first day of the 2025-26 school year, but the community will have the opportunity to explore the brand-new building during a Grand Opening Celebration on May 22, 2025, from 4 to 7 p.m. at 3500 Vanrick Drive (next to Wings Event Center). Stay tuned for more details! #KRESA #CareerConnect #CTE #Flyover #GetCareerConnected #ExploreEngageExperience #CareerConnectCampus

KRESA staff are participating in engagement sessions over the next few weeks to help inform our organization’s ongoing strategy for culture and belonging. Special thanks to our Director of Culture and Belonging, Dr. Diane Owen-Rogers, for leading us in this important work!