Landus has recruited Johnston High School Senior, Grant Shell, to complete a 240 hour long course with the Landus IT department. In this program, Grant will complete a rotation through each aspect of the Landus IT department.
I know the area of study I want to go into, but this apprenticeship has helped me narrow my focus into what I’m specifically interested in under the IT umbrella.
Landus knows that the future of ag is going to require the participation of people from all kinds of backgrounds. Bridging the gap between the rural and urban populations has been of heavy emphasis in Landus messaging, but that “gap” also translates to areas of study outside of ag.
For example, Landus partnered with Des Moines area schools and “School-to-Work” programs designed to move high school kids into apprenticeship/shadow job opportunities. These programs recruit students from academic backgrounds and interests like the trades, healthcare, and in the case of Landus’ new intern, computer science.
“I’ve been learning helpdesk stuff with Ari, networking with Pavan, screen sharing with Jacob. I’m just soaking up as much as I can,” said Grant.
Grant will graduate from Johnston and go to Grand Canyon University where he’ll go onto study computer science.
The Johnston Work-to-School program is led by its School-to-Work Coordinator, Kayla Bousum. Her program supports sixty students—most of which are seniors.
After teaching this class for five years, I can confidently say that this class helps kids get a head start in their career by fostering connections with professionals who are in their desired career path, in addition to having experience in the field that others their age typically wouldn't have.
“We’ve seen the success that we’ve had with Des Moines Public Schools Central Campus and we want to be a part of as many programs like this as we can,” said Landus HR Lead, Katie Squibb.
Grant graduates Johnston High School this Spring as an honor roll student and a member of the schools baseball team.
Grant’s teachers have high remarks for his effor that what’s learned at Landus so far.
“Grant’s a great kid. I taught him last year and was impressed with how seriously he approached school. He was always ready to learn. When he applied for School-to-Work and indicated an interest in computer science, I spoke with his Computer Science teacher at the high school and he came highly recommended as a student who learns quickly and is adept at problem solving. On top of that, he even took it upon himself to take a couple of DMACC computer science classes over the summer to be sure he was really ready for his internship experience,” said, Kayla Bousum.
With the growing obstacle to find labor in rural communities, Landus is taking proactive steps to find emerging professionals across all community types.
Landus is eager to welcome graduating high school seniors to their future education and next career in the workforce. Regardless of what path they choose to travel, Landus offers scholarships targeted to each path. Applications for the Dave Fevold Scholarship are due March 29. This scholarship is aimed to help kids further their career is custom application. The Excellence in Ag Scholarship closes March 9, and targets graduating high school seniors who have a desire to further their education in an ag-related field of study.
