The Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) program, which helps high school students with barriers to success earn their diploma and learn valuable employability skills, recently hosted the 10th annual State Career Development Conference with more than 160 students competing in the state finals. Students from all over the state competed in 10 different categories that challenged their critical thinking skills, entrepreneurial savvy, public speaking and writing comprehension. More than 1,000 JAG Indiana students initially competed in the regional events before the field was narrowed to 160 with the capstone achievement being the Outstanding Senior recognition.
The criteria for Outstanding Senior included academic performance, participation in JAG Career Association activities, success in and out of the JAG classroom and a demonstration of perseverance through personal and academic challenges.
Locally, Plymouth High School finished the competition with a 3rd place in the Financial Literacy competition.
“The students competing at the JAG career development conference demonstrated the variety of skills and range of ability that will prepare them for success as they continue their education and pursue career opportunities,” said Fred Payne, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. “I was pleased to see the efforts that all students put into this competition, and their performance was a clear indication of why JAG Indiana has become the nation’s largest and most successful program in the JAG national network.”
Beginning with just 12 schools in 2006, JAG Indiana has grown to the largest affiliate in the national network with more than 137 programs statewide. Since its inception, more than 18,000 Hoosiers have participated in JAG with 95 percent of these students graduating from high school. JAG students receive career preparation and life skills training while in school and one year of adult mentoring after graduation to ensure their continued success. Many students choose to continue their education after high school. In fact, JAG students secured more than $26 million in scholarships for the class of 2017.
Visit jagindiana.org to learn more about the JAG Indiana program.
