Hands on Opportunities
An Exciting Career Pathway
As a leading hybrid-learning school in Indiana, IATS offers students a pathway to a wide range of careers. There is great demand for individuals with the practical skills and insight students will gain by their involvement in agriculture and technology. This experience, combined with remote and in-classroom academic coursework, will give IATS graduates access to amazing career opportunities.
Students that choose IATS Agriculture & Technology will be exposed to careers in modern agriculture and technology that include biology, life sciences, environmental management, food and nutrition, human health, robotics, and drone aviation. The program is designed to offer career pathways through partnerships with agribusiness and technology corporations, offering career opportunities after graduation. Beginning in the 7th grade through their 12th grade year, students will participate in activities that expose them to many of the programs career pathways.
The Indiana Agriculture & Technology School (IATS) is a public, tuition-free, hybrid charter school serving grades 7–12. As a hybrid school, the IATS Core curriculum is driven by an online platform, while career-focused classes utilize in-person learning. In this innovative and dynamic learning environment, students work towards their Indiana Core 40 diploma, while being introduced to exciting opportunities post-graduation. Many will seek careers in agriculture and technology including farming, biology, life sciences, environmental management, food and nutrition, human health, and engineering. IATS offers four regional campuses in Indiana. The main campus is in Trafalgar (Central Region), with additional campuses located at the Jasper County Fairgrounds in Rensselaer (North Region), Putnam County Fairgrounds in Greencastle (West Region), and in Evansville (Southern Region). The Evansville region is located on the campus of University of Southern Indiana, which authorized IATS as a charter school.
Education Program
Indiana Agriculture & Technology School is a 7-12 statewide blended charter school with online and in-person instruction at our four regional campuses. Indiana Agriculture & Technology School will utilize an innovative brick and click educational model which consists of less than 50% online instruction while providing more than 50% face to face instruction. The program provides students the opportunity to learn from the safety of their own home under the supervision of a certified Student Learning Advocate. Each student will have an Personal Learning Plan crafted to meet his/her individual needs and will be assigned to a Student Learning Advocate, who will serve as the student’s guidance counselor and mentor, and will be in constant contact with the student and his or her family. Students can access their classes 24/7/365, and they will have access to the courses’ Student Learning Advocate facilitators via email, discussion board, or phone Monday through Friday. Student Learning Advocates will be available via email and phone Monday through Friday with times that will be determined by the Student Learning Advocate and school.
Dual Credit Ivy Tech
We are excited to announce that all of our Edgenuity Agriculture courses are now available for free Ivy Tech dual credit for grades 9-12! The Edgenuity Agriculture courses offered for dual credit will be: Agribusiness, Ag Power/Structure/Technology, Animal Science, Advanced Life Science: Animals, Food Science, Plant & Soil Science, Advanced Life Science: Plant & Soil, Natural Resources, Sustainable Energy Alternatives, and Horticultural Science. These courses will also qualify students for the career pathways and Ivy Tech’s technical certification programs. In addition, we are offering 8 intensive hands-on dual enrollment courses with Ivy Tech this fall at the Trafalgar IATS and Columbus Ivy Tech campuses AT A HIGHLY DISCOUNTED RATE. Please see the information below. A typical 3-credit hour course at Ivy Tech is $150 per credit hour, plus a $75 technology fee, a $20 distance/blended learning fee, and any consumables fees for materials. The average cost of a 3-credit hour class is $545 (not including welding). IATS and Ivy Tech are happy to offer the following 8 courses to students at a lower rate, utilizing Career & Technical Education funding. Courses that will be offered are Small Engines, Equine Management, AG Mechanics, Landscape Design, Precision AG, and Introduction and Advanced Welding.
Drone Program
Students will learn using online coursework and weekly in person hands-on training on the ins and outs of drone safety, application, and preparation for a career in UAS.
All students will be required to complete (pass), the knowledge based, Small UAS Safety Certification Course, which will cover UAS Foundations/History, applications, UAS personnel, and safety precautions and regulations. The program will rely heavily on the use of simulators to administer the initial hands-on experience and training. The course is recognized by American Council of Education (ACE) for 12 College Credits. Students will have the Option of taking an End-of Course exam for the USI Safety Certification, the cost of this exam is $99.00. This course will also provide student with the knowledge to attempt the knowledge-based FAA 107 Certification Exam for $150, which will allow students to pursue a career in UAS. The USI Visual line of Sight Course provides students additional instruction and hands on drone training. The 40-hour course will include 6 hours of simulator training and 10 hours of real flight instruction. Students will earn a VSO Cert at the end of the course.
A Capstone Course will continue to explore the enterprise application of drones and train students with additional skills needed for a career in UAS (including GIS, dual sensor cameras, analyzing data, problem solving), while preparing to take the FAA 107 Certification Exam. Hands-on training will be offered on campus with simulators and monitored real flight application using Phantom 4s/Mavic 2s. Students will then work with a local businesses to apply their knowledge and use drones on a final project.
Future Farmers of America (FFA)
IATS has a full chapter with the FFA where students can join and be a part of. FFA is a dynamic organization that changes lives and prepares members for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. FFA develops members’ potential and helps them discover their talent through hands-on experiences, which give members the tools to achieve real-world success. Members are future chemists, veterinarians, government officials, entrepreneurs, bankers, international business leaders, teachers and premier professionals in many career fields. FFA is an intracurricular student organization for those interested in agriculture and leadership. It is one of the three components of agricultural education.
