Iowa High School Solves Real Business Problems for Credit

High school seniors in Oskaloosa, Iowa are getting hired before they even graduate, and it's because they're already doing the job.

The Innovation Hub at Oskaloosa High School pairs students with local businesses facing real challenges. Students spend their trimester creating actual solutions while earning credits toward graduation.

Seniors Paige Drost and Alicia Falconer recently pitched ideas to help Love, Inc. attract more volunteers for their thrift store. Another student, Aamir Wilcoxon, developed a Black History Month project. Shane Haage brainstormed ways to make school more engaging.

Ten students make up this first class, recruited by teacher Carrie Bihn based on their interests and availability. The program grew from a one-week trial last year that worked with just three businesses.

The students aren't just learning technical skills. They're mastering the fundamentals that employers say matter most: sending professional emails, making eye contact, delivering a firm handshake, and proofreading their work.

"Those are all little things that are really, really big," said high school principal Jeff Kirby. "When they walk away from the program they may not remember all those technical skills, but they're gonna remember those other skills."

Local businesses had been asking the school district for years to focus on collaboration, communication, punctuality, and problem-solving. The Innovation Hub directly answers that call.

Students also worked with MidwestOne Bank staff on a holiday customer appreciation project, planning and delivering Christmas treats to local businesses. Every interaction became practice for the professional world waiting after graduation.

The program fits into Oskaloosa's "Portrait of a Learner" initiative, which identifies six core competencies every graduate should have. It's about more than training kids for one specific job.

Why This Inspires

This program proves that the gap between education and employment doesn't have to exist. When schools and businesses work together, students gain confidence and skills before entering the workforce, while local companies get fresh perspectives on old problems. The students build portfolios of real work, not just theoretical assignments. Businesses often use the solutions students create because they're genuinely valuable.

Everyone wins when young people get to prove what they can do while still learning how to do it.