The Lagrange County school districts, in partnership with local industry, today announced that it has secured transformative grant funding totaling over $870,000 to create the county-wide “Learn to Work” initiative, a career and technical education program. This significant investment is made possible by generous contributions from the Don Wood Foundation and the LaGrange County Community Foundation (LCCF).
The Don Wood Foundation awarded the program a $ 850,000 grant, providing the foundational capital to create and equip advanced manufacturing labs and curriculum across all three LaGrange County school corporations, hosted at Lakeland Intermediate School. Further demonstrating strong local commitment, the LaGrange County Community Foundation contributed an additional $25,000.
The "Learn to Work" initiative is a unified effort to integrate manufacturing trades education directly into the high school curriculum, aligning with the state's new graduation requirements and ensuring students graduate with both academic knowledge and the valuable certifications needed by local employers. The program services students across all three Lagrange County school districts: Lakeland School Corporation, Prairie Heights Community School Corporation, and Westview School Corporation.
Dr. Traci Blaize, Superintendent of Lakeland, stated, “This unprecedented funding from the Don Wood Foundation and the LaGrange County Community Foundation is a game-changer for our students, and displays huge support of the program. It allows us to move beyond traditional classroom settings and build state-of-the-art facilities that mirror today's manufacturing environments. The ‘Learn to Work’ program is committed to creating a robust pipeline of skilled local talent, and these grants make that vision a reality.”
The Learn to Work Program will kick off during the 2026/2027 school year!