(KIWA Staff Photo)
Northwest Iowa — Northwest Iowa Community College (NCC) officials tell us the college experienced record participation during the second year of its Sioux Center Regional Center’s Summer Career Camps, welcoming 144 student registrations representing 25 schools and homeschooled students from across Northwest Iowa. Participation nearly quadrupled from the program’s inaugural summer in 2025, and the number of schools represented more than doubled.
Hosted by NCC’s Regional Center in Sioux Center and the NCC Career Academy in Sheldon, the camps gave students entering grades 5–12 the opportunity to explore a variety of career fields through engaging, hands-on learning experiences. Eight camps were offered throughout June and July, introducing students to areas including crime scene investigation, welding, healthcare, manufacturing, and babysitting and childcare. The Crime Scene Investigation camp was the largest, with 25 students enrolled.
“The response this year exceeded our expectations,” said Brenda Sandbulte, Career Academy & Exploration Coordinator at Northwest Iowa Community College. “Students are naturally curious, and these camps gave them the opportunity to explore careers in a fun, hands-on way. Watching them discover new interests and build confidence was incredibly rewarding. We wanted every student to have the opportunity to try something new, explore career possibilities, and discover interests they may not have known they had.”
To make the camps affordable and accessible, registration ranged from just $5 to $10, with some students participating at no cost through community partnerships. Through interactive experiences, campers explored a variety of career fields while discovering how learning connects to real-world career possibilities in Northwest Iowa. From investigating a mock crime scene to learning welding techniques and exploring careers in healthcare, students experienced firsthand what professionals do every day.
Several local employers partnered with NCC to enhance the camp experience. Diversified Technologies supported the welding camps, while Sioux Center Health partnered on the Babysitting and Childcare camps, providing students with opportunities to learn directly from professionals working in those fields. These partnerships helped bring career exploration to life while demonstrating the value of collaboration between education and industry. “Partnerships with business and industry are an important part of these camps,” Sandbulte said. “When students interact with professionals and experience the tools and technology used every day, career exploration becomes much more meaningful. We are grateful to our partners for helping make these experiences possible.”
Students represented communities throughout Northwest Iowa, with some traveling from as far away as Lawton and Hinton to participate. The broad geographic representation reflects the growing interest in career exploration opportunities offered through NCC’s Regional Centers and Career Academies.
NCC officials tell us that as organizers reflected on this year’s camps, one trend became clear: students were especially drawn to experiences that allowed them to actively use tools, equipment, and technology associated with real careers. Those insights will help shape next year’s camp offerings as NCC continues to expand the program and create experiences that connect students with careers in meaningful ways.
Looking ahead, Northwest Iowa Community College officials tell us NCC plans to continue many of its most popular camps next summer while exploring additional opportunities that connect students with regional workforce needs, local business and industry, and the College’s academic programs. Building on this year’s momentum, organizers hope to provide even more affordable, hands-on career exploration opportunities for students across Northwest Iowa.
“These camps are about planting seeds,” Sandbulte said. “Career exploration begins long before students choose a college or career path. If a student leaves camp excited about a career they had never considered before, we’ve accomplished exactly what we hoped to do.”
Officials tell us that NCC’s Regional Centers connect students, adult learners, educators, employers, and communities through career academies, workforce training, college-credit opportunities, and community programming. The Summer Career Camps are one of many ways the Regional Centers inspire future learners while strengthening Northwest Iowa’s workforce pipeline.
