- Career Connect
- Career Center Timeline
Career Center
Page Navigation
Career Center Timeline
-
February 2022
- Conceptual Design Completed
- After months of gathering the input of students, educators, industry representatives, and leaders from community-facing organizations, our architects, Wightman & Associates and DLR Group, drafted a conceptual design for Kalamazoo County’s new centrally located Career Center.
- Conceptual Design Completed
-
January 2022
- Hosted CTE High School Classes Open House
-
October 2021
- Donation Secured for Future Site and $100 Million Gift
- Regional economic development catalyst Southwest Michigan First announces it has secured an anonymous gift of land along with a $100 million commitment for the construction of a new, world-class Career and Technical Education Center on the gifted parcel.
- Design Workshops Conducted
- For four days, 30-50 community members, including students and business leaders, engaged in a structured exploration and design process, led by our architects, Wightman and Associates and DLR Group.
- Donation Secured for Future Site and $100 Million Gift
-
September 2021
- Course Recommendations Approved
- The KRESA Board of Education affirms the CTE Steering Committee's recommended slate of course recommendations
- Course Recommendations Approved
-
August 2021
- New Career Center Principal Announced
- Isaac Carter tapped to helm the new Career & Technical Education (CTE) Career Center as its principal and will be at the heart of the county's CTE system redesign.
- Introducing KRESA's Career Center Principal
- New Career Center Principal Announced
-
June 2021
- CTE Steering Committee Convenes for First Meeting
- The committee is applying a rigorous course scoring rubric designed by the W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research to select courses to be included.
- Newly Formed CTE Steering Committee Convenes for First Meeting
- CTE Steering Committee Convenes for First Meeting
-
May 2021
- Landscape Forms Awarded KRESA CTE's 2021 Business and Industry Partner of the Year Award
- MiCareerQuest Southwest Hosted Virtually
-
March 2021
- CTE Steering Committee Formed
- A cohort of roughly 50 local education, business and community leaders is convened to select courses to be included in the county's redesigned CTE system.
- CTE Steering Committee Formed
-
February 2021
- Public-Private Partnership with Southwest Michigan First Strengthened
- KRESA and Southwest Michigan First affirm public-private partnership, formed ahead of the 2019 CTE millage campaign. The leadership of both agencies is confident they will be able to deliver a substantial amount of the cost of the construction.
- Public-Private Partnership with Southwest Michigan First Strengthened
-
January 2021
-
December 2020
-
November 2020
- Industry surveys and focus groups conducted
- KRESA sought the insight of local employers to help determine which career and technical education courses are most essential to preparing today’s learners for tomorrow’s careers.
- Labor market analysis completed
- KRESA partnered with the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research and the University of Michigan Youth Policy Lab to conduct studies to project tomorrow's high-demand, well-paying jobs and the skills they will require.
- Industry surveys and focus groups conducted
-
September 2020
- Hired Business and Community Relations Lead
- KRESA's new Business and Community Relations lead, Sarah Mansburger, was hired to foster close partnerships with the business community of southwest Michigan.
- Hired Business and Community Relations Lead
-
June 2020
- Additional Staff is Hired to Implement Curriculum
- KRESA hires additional Career Coaches to implement the innovative Career Awareness & Exploration programming for grades 6-8.
- Additional Staff is Hired to Implement Curriculum
-
November 2019
- County Passed CTE Millage
- A Kalamazoo County millage funding the operational costs of the proposed Career Center passes overwhelmingly, with 60% voting yes.
- County Passed CTE Millage
-
May 2019
- First Report to the Community
- Convene Design Teams
- KRESA convenes the Career Readiness & Exploration Design Team, High School Program Design Team and Work-Based Learning & Early/Middle College Design Team.
