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District workforce coordinator highlights pre-apprenticeships, career fairs and employer partnerships
Summary
Workforce partnership facilitator Adam Kaiser outlined career-readiness programming—junior-high career fairs, pre-apprenticeship enrollment and business partnerships—to the Laramie County School District #1 board; trustees asked about certifications, dual enrollment and program metrics.
Adam Kaiser, the district’s workforce partnership facilitator, presented the board on Jan. 27, 2025, outlining current and expanding career-readiness efforts including career fairs, junior-high events, pre-apprenticeships and community “venture” projects that match schools with local funders and volunteers.
Kaiser said the district’s work is grounded in its strategic plan goals for student readiness and community engagement, and summarized a range of programs: summer and career job fairs with employer partners; three-day junior-high career fairs with about 32 business partners at each school; an AGC Trades Day at the Archer complex that showcases construction and CTE careers; and an expanding pre-apprenticeship pipeline tied to the state’s online pre-apprenticeship system.
Kaiser said the pre-apprenticeship opportunity can provide a substantial student incentive: “You get $15,000 or $16,500 to complete a pre-apprenticeship online,” he said, and the district expects about 47 students to pursue pre-apprenticeship this year, up from one last year.
Trustees asked about credentialing and outcomes. Trustee Claassen asked whether students still take career-interest inventories and about dual/concurrent enrollment with LCCC; Kaiser said counselors administer career inventories and the district is expanding dual-enrollment options with Laramie County Community College, including a “Strategies for Success” class and short trade rotations that may generate college credit. Trustee Ashby asked whether pre-apprenticeship credentials are recognized by industry; Kaiser said the state-designed program provides a workforce-ready certificate and industry-specific recognition when employers are at the table.
Board members and district administrators discussed program evaluation and metrics. Kaiser said measuring long-term success—placement, credential completion or exploration—is a work in progress and a growth area for the program. District staff and trustees agreed to continue coordination with secondary counselors, LCCC, and local industry partners as the programs scale.
Kaiser’s presentation, which trustees praised, focused on expanding student exposure to careers and building pathways that let some students pursue immediate employment while others pursue postsecondary degrees.
