News Release: John Deere Coffeyville Works Commits to Three-Year Continuation to Sponsorship of JAG-K
John Deere Coffeyville Works (JDCW) announced recently that it will continue its sponsorship of the Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas (JAG-K) program at Field Kindley Memorial High School in Coffeyville for the next three years.
For the past eight years, the Field Kindley JAG-K program has benefitted from a local partnership with John Deere Coffeyville Works. The manufacturing plant has made an annual donation through the John Deere Foundation of $36,000 to help fund the in-school workforce-development program.
This spring, JDCW committed to the sponsorship for three years, giving a new degree of stability and continuity to the Field Kindley JAG-K program. The grant provided by JDCW covers the Field Kindley JAG-K program fee and a portion of the remaining cost that is subsidized by JAG-K.
“We can’t say enough about the impact this partnership has had over the years,” JAG-K President and CEO Chuck Knapp said. “Literally hundreds of students have prepared for successful futures thanks to the generosity of John Deere Coffeyville Works. There are young adults working, raising families and serving in the Coffeyville community because of this investment.”
JAG-K offers tools to successfully transition students into post-secondary school, the military, or directly into the workforce with marketable skills. One of the important features of JAG-K is employer engagement. Students from Field Kindley are regularly invited to the JDCW facilities to learn about jobs and career opportunities.
“The JAG-K program is dedicated to nurturing essential skills in our local youth that resonate with John Deere’s core values. At JDCW, we prioritize these foundational skills when seeking future talent,” said Mike Marquart, Labor Relations Manager at JDCW. “While we are thrilled to discover local talent, we are equally committed to the positive influence that the Field Kindley JAG-K Program has on our community.”
JDCW employs about 236 total employees at the Coffeyville location, where it assembles drive train components and produces parts for power systems for John Deere factories that make agriculture, construction, and forestry equipment. Initially founded as Funk Manufacturing in 1941, the corporation was purchased by John Deere in 1989.
Kansas’ 114 JAG-K programs serve approximately 6,000 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, Barton Community College, EagleU, Goldstein Charitable Trust, Independence Community College, the JB and Anne Hodgdon Foundation, Honeywell, John Deere, Johnson County Community College, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Kansas Gas Service, the Kansas Insurance Department, Magellan Financial, Mark One Electric, the Office of the Kansas State Bank Commissioner, United Way of Kaw Valley, United Way of the Plains, U.S. Bank, Walmart and Washburn Tech.
To learn more about JAG-K, visit www.jagkansas.org, or ‘Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas’ on Facebook, X and LinkedIn.