The Best Weeks of Summer Ahead!

Final exams have been graded, lockers and dorm rooms are cleaned out, and no more school night curfews. Time to relish the thought of hitting that snooze button once or twice more each morning because it’s officially summer break. 

On the contrary, summer months are anything but a break for the ABI Foundation. Two of our annual programs, Business Horizons and Leadership Iowa University, are held each summer. Both week-long programs immerse Iowa high school and college students in what we define as opportunities-awareness curriculum. This curriculum directly benefits the state’s workforce, as demonstrated by our Elevate Iowa program, which awards scholarships each summer to high school seniors pursuing careers in manufacturing. 

Business Horizons
This action-packed week enables high school students to confidently forge connections between concepts learned in the classroom through real-world application. By combining hands-on, entrepreneurial experiences with team-oriented challenges, the program demonstrates how business and leadership skills are intertwined and applicable to any career interest. Along with a new network of friends and mentors, students leave equipped with a renewed sense of confidence in their next steps. 

Leadership Iowa University 
This fast-paced week provides students the unique ability to explore Iowa’s opportunities with a focus on helping bridge the gap between college and career. The program is designed to connect our state’s next decision makers with tools for personal and professional success. By way of networking events, engaging round-table discussions, business tours, and a dynamic speaker series, students learn why Iowa is the ideal state to live and work. 

Elevate
This initiative is a statewide, integrated marketing campaign to promote careers and educational pathways in manufacturing. The program addresses misconceptions surrounding the industry while simultaneously promoting how innovative technologies, such as robotic automation and artificial intelligence, provide new and exciting career opportunities. Through several state and national partnerships, we’re continuously developing a more-informed talent pipeline of qualified, eager-to-work Iowans. 

Do you know high school students who’d benefit from a business-minded leadership development program? Does your company have college interns who’d benefit from learning more about statewide and community initiatives? Are you a manufacturer who’s offering an alternative to the traditional four-year degree? If so, nominate or encourage students to learn more about one of these programs before it’s too late! 

The ABI Foundation implores your organization to invest in Iowa’s students this summer. Today’s students are tomorrow’s workforce, and your involvement undoubtedly solidifies these programs as the best weeks of summer for many of our participants. 

To learn more about each program or how your organization can get involved this summer, visit www.IowaABIFoundation.org.