New Kirkwood career camps offer career exploration opportunities for students this summer

Summer just got a bit more exciting for middle and high school students eager to explore their future career options.

Kirkwood is launching KICK Careers Camps, designed to inspire and educate teens by immersing them in diverse career fields through engaging, hands-on camps. Each camp focuses on a specific high-demand career, allowing students to explore various paths by working on projects led by experienced industry professionals. Students will gain practical insights and real-world exposure through site visits to industry partners or by learning directly from guest speakers who are experts in their respective fields.

The program launches this summer with five careers being highlighted: construction, auto tech, pet grooming, marketing and business, and culinary.

Melanie Bouzek, Career and Community Program Manager for Kirkwood Continuing Education, helped develop this new set of summer camp offerings and is excited to get students engaged.

“This program aims to ignite curiosity, foster career readiness, and equip teens with foundational skills that can guide their future educational and career choices,” she said. “These camps are unique because they are an immersive career-focused experience for teens. Each camp is led by instructors who have industry experience and include community industry partners so that students can learn from multiple voices.”

Tara Allen, an instructor at Kirkwood in the business and marketing department, will be leading the marketing and business camp this summer. She said it is geared toward those thinking about entrepreneurship and marketing careers and is perfect for students curious about the world of business, branding, and advertising.

They also will explore key marketing concepts, dive into hands-on activities, and engage with real-world businesses to see marketing in action. She said the course will simulate what her college level marketing course offers.

“I really love working with this age group of students because they are so engaged and curious,” Allen said. “And they still have a sense of play which I think can be particularly fun for this camp as I’m a really playful person. Plus, I’m just so passionate about marketing and I’m excited to share that with students who might be thinking about it as a future career. I think having an example of someone who enjoys their job is really important for kids to see.”

Bouzek agreed. “I hope that all the teens learn something about themselves throughout the camp,” she said. “I hope the camps will spark further interest in pursuing that particular career and that the student leaves with next steps they can take to continue gaining skills and experiences to be able to one day thrive in that career.”

While the marketing course will be offered at Kirkwood’s main campus (other courses will either be held there or at the Kirkwood Regional Center in Hiawatha), Allen plans to have regular excursions as part of the class to help the students get even more hands-on learning experience. “We take all the textbooks away and get experience in the community,” she said, noting that a Marion popcorn company has already agreed to work with the camp to offer opportunities for students to learn. Allen said students will do a needs assessment, learn all about the business and their social media presence, and even work in teams to present an idea via a marketing plan for the business to consider.

“I love to see these students get outside of the classroom and they start becoming friends,” Allen added. “The kids that go to school together, they're in what you call bias formation. But when they are in this camp together with students from different schools they are no longer a biased formation, and they are gathering different perspectives and growing outside of their sphere and becoming part of the broader community. And I’m excited to see students not be intimidated by entrepreneurship.”

Because this is a new program, organizers are looking forward to hearing about the experience of participants. Bouzek said she’s excited to talk with the teens to learn more about their interests in particular career fields. “It is always inspiring to hear about their passions and help them consider how they can continue to gain experiences in their interested career field both within high school and after.”

“The most important thing is that these camps will expose teens to potential careers they are interested in by allowing them to hear from industry professionals and experience what it’s like to work in those fields,” Bouzek added. “The camps offer a chance to deepen interest in a career path or reevaluate and adjust if it’s not the right fit.”

Each of the camps is hosted during a particular week this summer and range from either a morning session, afternoon session or full day instruction. The camps are designed for students ages 12 to 16. Tuition is $200 per camp, but Bouzek noted there is tuition assistance available for families that qualify as well.

For more information about these camp opportunities, visit: https://www.kirkwood.edu/programs/continuing-education/kids-camps