The Iowa City Community School District will host Pathways to Purpose, a career and course-planning experience for all eighth-grade students at the ICCSD Center for Innovation, 2255 N. Dubuque Road.
The event will take place over three days: Jan. 21 for North Central Middle School students, Jan. 28 for Southeast Middle School students and Jan. 30 for Northwest Middle School students. Programming runs from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day.
The experience is designed to give students information about ICCSD high school course pathways before they complete course registration. The district said the event aligns with Iowa’s House File 316, passed in 2025, which strengthens career education requirements in middle grades by emphasizing career awareness and exploration experiences.
A centerpiece of the event will be the Big Ideas USA Mobile Learning Labs, a semi-truck-based learning environment that delivers industry simulations to students. Using virtual and augmented reality, students will explore skilled trades and career options through hands-on stations including welding, carpentry, painting and heavy equipment operation.
Community partners include University of Iowa Health Care, the UI Event Management Program, the UI Aspiring Educators, the Johnson County Agricultural Association, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa City Summer of the Arts, Iowa City Public Library, HON Furniture, Future Builders of Iowa, Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development, Iowa State Johnson County Extension and Outreach, ALPLA, Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa, Kroul Farms, PIP Iowa City, Hills Bank, ICCSD Building and Maintenance and Hancher Auditorium.
Students will participate in a welcome and orientation, then rotate in small groups through eight exploration experiences with time for reflection after each session. After the event, students will continue learning through school-based follow-up activities, including reflection work and additional guidance from high school counselors as they complete registration.
The initiative is partially funded by the Iowa State STEM BEST Grant program, which supports work-based and career-connected learning models.
Businesses interested in participating can contact [email protected].
