News Release: JAG-K Students Receive Rare View of Honeywell Facility in Olathe

Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas (JAG-K) prepares students for successful futures. One of the ways it accomplishes this mission is by introducing participants in the program to various workforce partners across the state.

Recently a group of JAG-K students from Eudora High School were provided a behind-the-scenes look at the Honeywell manufacturing facility in Olathe where visits are a special privilege. The students needed special clearance to enter the building dedicated to national security.

JAG-K students learned about a host of jobs and skills required to accomplish the mission of the Honeywell facility. The 560,000-square foot building produces components for Honeywell’s avionics, safety and flight control systems and complex radio frequency systems for traffic collision avoidance, radar altimeters, and weather radar.

“What an incredible opportunity Honeywell gave to our students,” said Dana Chance, JAG-K Career Specialist at Eudora High School. “They saw what makes Honeywell a great employer and what great work is being done for our country.”

For the past three years, Honeywell has made an annual donation of $10,000 to support the mission of JAG-K.

JAG-K is a multi-year, in-school program for students in grades 6-12 that offers tools to successfully transition students into post-secondary school, the military, or directly into the workforce with marketable skills. Visits to businesses like Honeywell provide students valuable introductions to career opportunities.

“The tour was exciting. It showed a lot of job opportunities throughout the different parts of the building,” said Neo Allison, a sophomore at Eudora High School. “One of my favorites was the soldering. It would be a fun but challenging job to do.

“In the end, we talked about apprenticeships for the upcoming summer. A lot of my classmates liked the idea of working there and learning more about opportunities at Honeywell.”

Kansas’ 114 JAG-K programs serve approximately 6,200 students in 48 school districts across the state. JAG-K Career Specialists help students graduate and learn career, leadership, and life skills by executing a nationally-accredited, evidence-based model. Participants must meet criteria to be selected for the program and have potential to overcome various barriers to post-secondary success. Last year, JAG-K had 805 high school graduates.

The 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization is a state affiliate of the national JAG program network which operates in 36 different states and territories. It is primarily funded through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant to the State of Kansas administered by the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF). In addition to school districts and DCF, JAG-K partners with the Kansas Department of Education. Other JAG-K funding sources include ADM, AT&T, EagleU, Goldstein Charitable Trust, the JB and Anne Hodgdon Foundation, Honeywell, John Deere, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Kansas Gas Service, the Kansas Insurance Department, the Office of the Kansas State Bank Commissioner, United Way of Kaw Valley, United Way of the Plains, U.S. Bank and Walmart.

To learn more about JAG-K, visit  www.jagkansas.org, or ‘Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas’ on Facebook and LinkedIn.

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