Iowa City Area HBA is Career Inspire Event Sponsor, Seeking Member Participation

While The Greater Iowa City Area HBA is extremely sad that its 2nd annual Build My Future Construction Career Day and Industry Showcase – to have been held in April – was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, it’s excited to be a involved with Career Inspire 2020 being held Oct. 26-27 at Cedar Rapids’ US Cellular Center. The event is a partnership among Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa, ICR Iowa Future and Kirkwood Community College’s Workplace Learning Connection.

Building Our Future Workforce
Career Inspire offers 9th-grade students an opportunity to learn about careers from industry representatives thereby ensuring their high school course work aligns with career goals. It also helps them better prepare for life after high school graduation. Most students do not have access to exploring firsthand Eastern Iowa industries. For businesses, higher education and apprenticeship programs, Career Inspire is an opportunity to participate in building Eastern Iowa’s future workforce.

The event consists of three segments:

• In-class sessions guided by an instructor.
• Hands-on Career Inspire expo, where students often use equipment or on-the-job tools.
• In-class debrief.

Following participation, students will be able to:

• Recognize career clusters and potential job positions.
• Understand the importance of researching requirements needed to earn a position.
• Implement job-hunting tools, such as networking, resumes and interviewing skills.
• Identify next steps needed for success in their academic and career preparation and the importance of high-school decisions to enabling a successful career path.
• Communicate and interact with industry professionals.
• Realize better their career interests, skills and work priorities.

Members Needed to Host Hands-On Exhibits
Along with the Iowa City Area HBA’s financial sponsorship, NAHB’s National Housing Endowment has authorized grant money designated for the 2020 Iowa City/Cedar Rapids Area Build My Future to be transferred to Career Inspire. Additionally, our own Executive Officer Karyl Bohnsack is on the Transportation, Logistic and Architecture Committee, helping develop activities. Since members are unable to participate in Build My Future, we invite you to get involved in Career Inspire instead by hosting a hands-on exhibit. Morning sessions will run from approximately 9:00 – 11:00 a.m., with afternoon sessions approximately 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. To sign up contact Karyl. And remember– Build My Future will be back in 2021!