There are five career pathways focusing on regional high demand, high pay occupations, which include applied engineering, health sciences, manufacturing technology, business administration and nursing.

Curriculum in the academies is guided by college and high school instructors and industry advisers. Pequot Lakes, Brainerd, Crosby-Ironton, Staples-Motley, Pillager, and Pine River-Backus have embraced the academies and Workplace Connection initiative.

In Bridges Academies, students receive both high school and college credit. Project and work-based learning is incorporated into each academy.

In addition, essential skills for the workplace are integrated into the curriculum, which includes organizing resources, interpersonal skills, using information, understanding systems and working with a variety of technologies.

An important component of the program provides outcome-based, work-based learning experiences for all learners. Key functions include internships, job shadow experiences, employers in the school, teachers in the workplace and career days focusing on high pay, high demand occupations.

The most recent career day took place at Cragun's Resort on Nov. 18 where students from Pequot Lakes and 15 area school districts chose from more than 70 career exploration opportunities to receive first hand information and experience.

The business and administration academy prepares learners for careers in planning, organizing, directing and evaluating business functions essential to efficient and productive business operations. Career opportunities are available in every sector of the economy and require specific skills in organization, management, customer service and communication.

The health sciences academy provides students with an opportunity to take courses while still in high school that will prepare the learner with foundational knowledge to pursue a wide variety of health care occupations in college - nursing, medical assistant, radiology, medical laboratory technology, respiratory therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and physician.

The options for a career in health care are many and varied with limitless opportunity for career mobility and personal growth.

The nursing academy enables the learner to meet nursing prerequisite requirements by taking pre-nursing courses while still in high school so that the learner will be prepared to begin a nursing program the first semester of college.

Engineering degrees are among the most highly paid of Bachelor's degrees and span a very large number of fields. The most common engineering fields include civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and chemical engineering. Other fields include, but are not limited to, aerospace engineering, computer engineering and industrial engineering.

Engineers commonly transition to management positions in business and industry, start their own companies, or use their engineering degree to facilitate movement into other professional fields such as patent law and medicine.

The manufacturing academy is a collaboration between education and industry in advancing a world-class comprehensive, relevant and integrated manufacturing and applied engineering education program.

This industry-supported academy provides an integrated system for students which will lead to advanced degrees. It also provides a pipeline of educated and highly skilled employees for manufacturing, engineering and technology-based companies.

Pequot Lakes High School presently offers courses in the manufacturing, health sciences and business academies, with plans to offer courses in the engineering academy in the near future. The nursing academy will also be looked at as a potential curriculum choice for our students.

Bridges Academies has been an excellent opportunity to develop a workplace connection between education and business to help our students prepare for life beyond high school.

(John McDonald is the high school principal at Pequot Lakes and can be reached at 568-9210.)