LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — The Lima Kiwanis Club recently traveled to the Apollo Career Center to learn firsthand what the school offers not only to its students, but also to local businesses.
Apollo Superintendent Keith Horner spoke to the club about the career center’s role in developing a skilled workforce for regional manufacturers, industries and other employers. The high school has just under 1,000 students enrolled this year, and administrators say they are preparing them to be “Next Ready” to make an impact in Lima and Allen County.
Horner emphasized the importance of collaboration between the career center and the business community.
Keith Horner, superintendent of Apollo Career Center, said, "We have advisory committees for every program we do. Value that greatly. It's one of the most important things we we do, and that's getting feedback from our industry partners for each particular program to make sure that what we're doing is useful to the community and to employers."
Members of the Lima Kiwanis Club also learned about innovative learning models that allow students to split time between the classroom and the workforce.
Dr. Willie Heggins, president of the Lima Kiwanis Club, said, "Keith was sharing with us earlier today about multiple different models that they're incorporating, where kids can kind of come to school for two weeks, and then they can actually get into the workforce for two weeks. I mean, that's forward thinking. I mean, that's helping business and industry try to figure out new talent and providing them with opportunities for them to be able to grow and develop."
The Lima Kiwanis Club has made visiting Apollo Career Center a staple of its meetings over the past few years.
