EACC Connections

Welcome to EACC Connections, the quarterly email newsletter from the Elkhart Area Career Center! Our goal with this newsletter is to keep you updated about events and opportunities at the EACC with news that is informative and quick to read.

Please be sure to follow our EACC Facebook page for day-to-day activity at the EACC and check out our EACC website for detailed information about our programs!

Please join us at our upcoming Open House on Sunday, January 28, 2024 from 1:30-3:30PM.

This annual event is a great opportunity for families, businesses, and community members to visit and learn more about the EACC. We hope you'll consider joining us!

All EACC campuses will be open and available for tours. Stop in at the main campus for a map for all locations.

• Main campus: 2424 California Road, Elkhart, IN 46514
• ETI campus: 2510 California Road, Elkhart, IN 46514
• EHS campus: 2608 California Road (Door 27), Elkhart, IN 46514
• Transportation/Construction Annex: 28330 County Road 10 West, Elkhart, IN 46514
• Woodland Elementary/Education Professions: 1220 County Road 3, Elkhart, IN 46514

The EACC is currently accepting applications for incoming high school juniors and seniors through March 22, 2024, which means it's a busy time for the career center!

Now is the time when:

• Our counselors are visiting schools for student and family presentations
• Our counselors are meeting with school counselors to update them about programs and the application process
• We host general school tours that briefly visit all EACC programs
• We host smaller student groups of 10th graders with dedicated 30-45 minute sessions in the program they're most interested in
• We open our doors to families and the community at our open house (see above)
  
• We provide updates about what's on the horizon (see below)

We have some great things happening on the horizon!

With the interest in the EACC's Criminal Justice program at an all-time high, we're looking at tangent areas of study for students who may be interested in studying law and the legal system. We are thrilled to be in the development stages of a new Pre-Law program.

Students entering the Pre-Law program at the EACC should have an interest in the legal system, understanding law, and exploring the various occupations within the legal/law enforcement field. Successful students will demonstrate a high level of aptitude with language arts, government, and/or debate, with a very high attention to detail and an understanding of confidentiality.

During their two years in the program, Pre-Law students will learn about various court structures, roles of legal personnel, how rules and laws are made, enforced, interpreted, and applied. Students will learn about legal research and the various forms of legal writing, as well as the court process from start (filing) to finish (judgments). Students will engage in a deep dive into the professional ethics and the rules of conduct that apply to all legal professions.

Learn more about the EACC's Pre-Law Program

A new EACC barbering program was introduced in fall 2023, in partnership with the Eden Barber Academy (read more about it in last quarter's newsletter). Next year, the program will continue to expand and house year two students. During their second year, students will build and improve previously developed skills with an emphasis on developing individual, personal techniques. Students will focus on the skills needed to own a barber shop, including professionalism, shop management, and psychology. Barbering students will complete a minimum of 375 studio hours and prepare for the state board examination.

Learn more about the EACC's Barbering Program

One of the areas in healthcare with an optimistic job market outlook and high labor demand is Surgical Services. The EACC is currently in the second year of our Surgical Services program, which is a program that focuses on the fundamentals of human anatomy, medical terminology, and instrument sterilization.

During their two years at the EACC, Surgical Services students will have the opportunity to earn 27 college credits through dual enrollment at Ivy Tech, at no charge to the student/family by successfully completing the EACC program with a grade of "C" or better. Students who complete the program will have the opportunity to earn the Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) certificate. Additionally, students who complete dual enrollment courses ENG 111 (College English) and IVYT 106 (Career Exploration) either through their home high school or the EACC, can earn a Healthcare Specialist Technical Certificate or Central Service Technician Certificate.

Despite the high labor need, there has not been college-level training specific to Surgical Services available in the region... until now. Through our collaboration with Ivy Tech Community College, post-secondary training in Surgical Services will be offered by Ivy Tech and located at the EACC.

This collaboration not only expands the range of programs available but has also led to the addition of new classroom and lab facilities. Currently in progress and slated for completion over the summer, these spaces will include a full-scale replica operating room. The arrangement ensures that EACC Surgical Services can make use of the facility during the day, while Ivy Tech students will have access in the evening.

Learn more about the EACC's Surgical Services Program

Recent changes at the EACC include the removal of the old greenhouse, a move prompted by the natural aging of equipment components. Originally constructed in 1971 to support the horticulture program, the greenhouse became obsolete as interest in traditional horticulture and floral design declined over the past 5-10 years. With the job market shifting towards agriculture, the EACC adjusted its focus, utilizing the ECS' ACCELL Farm and greenhouse for agriculture-based programming. Consequently, maintaining the old EACC greenhouse became impractical, especially as other programs faced space constraints.

Amidst these changes, it's worth noting the positive growth of the Criminal Justice program at the EACC. This program has become one of the fastest-growing and most sought-after offerings. To accommodate the increasing demand, a second first-year classroom was recently introduced. However, this additional space is limited in size, impacting the range of activities the program can undertake.

Several years ago, the introduction of the Schools of Study format at EHS resulted in construction changes to the EACC main building, leading to the loss of lab space for the Criminal Justice program. The removal of the old greenhouse now presents an opportunity to address this space shortage. The freed-up square footage will be repurposed to create new and improved classroom and lab facilities for the Criminal Justice program, ensuring students have the resources they need to excel in their studies and practical training.

Additionally, the footprint of the Veterinary Careers program will expand by gaining additional instructional space through this building addition. Like Criminal Justice, the Veterinary Careers program has more applicants than available student spaces. This expansion will allow the EACC to serve more students in both programs.

The 10,000 square foot expansion will feature instructional and lab space, as well as a new multi-purpose space that will allow the EACC more space and flexibility with hosting business partner events, like mock interviews. Construction on the space is scheduled to start over the summer of 2024 and expected to be ready for students when the 2025-2026 school year begins.

The space freed up by the Criminal Justice program move will be utilized by our Exercise Science Careers program, which currently operates out of a single classroom. This additional space will provide room for an expansion of the program, including lab space for students to utilize.

This move of the Exercise Science Careers program will provide the space necessary for the EACC to create a true "Student Services" center, where students with learning or language barriers can receive assistance, as well as students who need assistance with Math or English, or specialized assistance from our Success Coach.

Learn more about the EACC's Drone Technology/Precision Agriculture Program

Learn more about the EACC's Criminal Justice Program

Learn more about the EACC's Veterinary Careers Program

Learn more about the EACC's Exercise Science Careers Program

If you know a high school junior or senior who would be interested in one of these programs, or one of the other 20+ programs offered by the EACC, please encourage them to apply! Application information is available on the EACC website or through the student's counselor! Please note that some programs are a required two-year commitment and only open to incoming juniors.

The deadline to apply is March 22, 2024.

Application Information

Not sure if we serve your school? Here's a list of our Partnering Schools.

Effective with the graduating class of 2023, the Indiana Department of Education requires all students to complete a service-based learning project, project-based learning project, or work-based learning experience as a graduation requirement that demonstrates Employability Skills.

What are project-based learning, service-based learning, and work-based learning?

• Project-Based Learning: Allows students to gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question.
• Service-Based Learning: Integrates academic study with service experience, reflects larger social, economic, and societal issues, and collaborative efforts between students, schools, and community partners.
• Work-Based Learning: Activities that occur in a workplace while developing the student's skills, knowledge, and readiness for work.

EACC programs incorporate all three options with project-based and/or service-based learning generally being completed in the first year at the EACC and work-based learning experiences occurring during a student’s second year at the EACC.

We wanted to take a moment to share a few service-based learning projects that our students recently completed!

Medical Assisting - Local Families / Toy Drive

Students developed a plan, designed flyers, promoted their toy drive, conducted inventory, and helped pack gift bags. Students had a goal of 50 total toys and exceeded it by collecting 60 toys. Their toy drive provided gifts for 11 students in need at a local elementary school and preschool and were distributed to the families by the referring agencies.

Vet Careers - All 4 Animals / Animal Supply Drive

Students created flyers and distributed them through the career center, as well as at their home high schools. Over 250 pounds of pet food and 50 pounds of cat litter were collected and donated to All 4 Animals Rescue.

Firefighting - Elkhart Fire Department / Santa’s Breakfast

Students designed and made coloring books, picked out items for the gift bags, stuffed 500 gift bags and 1200 candy bags. Students also came to the breakfast and assisted with serving food and drinks, cleaned tables, made cotton candy, and handed out hats and gloves to attendees.

Surgical Services & Cardiology - South Bend Medical Foundation / Blood Drive

Students created flyers and promoted the event throughout the career center, then helped facilitate the event by running the snack tables and helping assist donors post-donation. Through the donation, 33 units of blood were collected. Each unit can provide life-saving blood for three recipients, meaning that a potential of 99 lives were saved through their efforts.

One thing the EACC promotes to our students and business partners is industry certifications. But what exactly does this mean mean?

An industry-based certification is attained through completion of coursework, and then successfully completing a certification exam. Attaining certification for our students means that they can immediately enter the workforce prior to or after graduation, having earned the required industry certification for the position they are seeking. The types of certifications available for EACC students vary widely depending on the industry. Learn more about EACC Certifications.

We wanted to share a few of the mid-year certifications that our students have earned:

On Thursday, March 21, the EACC will host our biggest event of the year: Mock Interview Day.

Each year, over 200 volunteers from local businesses and organizations donate their time to help our students hone their skills in the “hot seat” of being interviewed by a potential employer.

A mock interview is a practice interview that allows the interviewee to create effective responses, work on nonverbal communication skills, and become familiar with interview settings.

Students are already diligently preparing for this event - working on their resumes, cover letters, and interview skills. EACC students will come prepared with resumes, dressed for interviews, and ready to engage with local employers.

This event is also a great opportunity for local businesses to network with EACC students who will be entering the job market soon!

We need your help! Mock interviews will have morning (8:30-10:45 AM) and afternoon (12:15-2:30 PM) sessions. Each interview will be 10-15 minutes. Volunteers will be provided with the student's resume, as well as interview questions, and a scoring rubric.

Can you please help our students with this important event? Register Now!

In December, the EACC launched a new website: http://myeacc.org. Here are a few areas we'd like to show you!

For our Student/Parent and School Counselor audience, the primary design matches the EACC's current branding: Choose Your Path, Develop Your Skills, Make Your Mark.

The Choose Your Path section of the website helps prospective students determine their career interests, explore all EACC programs, and apply to attend.

The Develop Your Skills section of the website shows how EACC helps students develop their skills through curriculum, workplace readiness events, and project/service/work-based learning.

The Make Your Mark section of the website shows EACC program outcomes, including college credits and industry certifications for each program, as well as National Technical Honors Society, and SkillsUSA opportunities.

For our Business Partners/Community audience, content includes sections for Business Partnerships and About EACC.

The Business Partners section of the website contains information about our Business Partnerships, including advisory boards, internships (and our internship guide), sponsorships, and events.

Looking for information about the EACC, including awards, history, leadership, news, partnering schools, schedule, and an EACC staff directory? Check out About EACC.

One of the most popular pages has been our History page! Curious about the history of the EACC? Check out our origin story (and walk through decades of hairstyles from our Cosmetology program!): EACC History

Reminder to our families and business partners that the EACC follows the Elkhart Community Schools school year calendar and guidance on delays/closings.

• ECS Calendar (2023-2024 School Year)
• ECS Calendar (2024-2025 School Year)
• ECS Delays/Closings Page

Please note:

• When ECS has a two-hour delay, EACC morning programs will be canceled, and afternoon programs will resume as normally scheduled (afternoon students should report at their normal start time, with the exception of EHS students who should report at 12:30PM).
• When ECS is closed due to weather, the EACC will be closed. EACC student-interns do not need to report to their internship when the EACC is closed due to weather.
• When ECS engages in e-learning, EACC will engage in e-learning.

The Elkhart Area Career Center is currently seeking:

• Paraprofessional - Child Care/Kitchen Manager (link to job description)

• Technical Assistant – Diesel and Auto Service Technology (link to job description)

Do you know someone who might be interested? Please share!

EACC students will be celebrated for their induction into the National Technical Honor Society. This great event highlights our students' excellence in career and technical education. Students are nominated by their instructors, must have 3 or less absences and tardies, and have an “A” in their Career Technical Education Program at the end of first semester. The ceremony is scheduled to start at 7:00pm and will be held in the Elkhart High School Auditorium. Business partners, partnering high school representatives, families of honorees, and students-inductees are invited! Students will be receiving invitations for their families. If you plan on attending, please reach out to Gail Leister (gleister@elkhart.k12.in.us).

Workplace volunteers needed! Register Here: http://tinyurl.com/EACC-mock-interviews-2024

Our end-of-the-year Career Fair is a great way to meet students who are about to graduate from high school and enter the job field, or to potentially find summer employees! Mark your calendar and plan on attending! The EACC Career Fair will be on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 and located at Elkhart High School. Additional information will be shared when the event is closer.

A heartfelt thank you to Bane-Welker, Beacon Health System, Builders Association of Elkhart County, Gurley Leep, Marson International, and NIBCO. Your support helps ensure continued success and growth of EACC programs and students. We appreciate your support!

Interested in sponsoring the EACC? Contact Brandon Eakins at beakins@elkhart.k12.in.us

Do you have suggestions for the EACC newsletter? Was this forwarded to you and you'd like to be on the distribution list? Please email Brenda Metcalfe (bmetcalfe@elkhart.k12.in.us).