A Head Start for the Future

GoCaps is a program offered to seniors at Fair Grove Highschool, and an opportunity for them to get a hands-on internship/job shadow experience.

Allowing students to get a behind the scenes view of a field they might be interested in, the program has five strands: Medical and Health, Business and Entrepreneurship, IT and Software, Engineering and Manufacturing, and Teacher Education. As the GoCap mission statement states, “GO CAPS will partner with business in the Greater Ozarks to provide high school students with an educational opportunity that is driven by real world, career-oriented experiences.”

The GoCaps program is an association of about 20 different schools in the south west Missouri area that is run through the Springfield Chamber of Commerce and Springfield Public Schools. To be in the program while attending Fair Grove, it is required for students to be a senior. The students leave halfway through the school day, either in the morning or afternoon, to the location determined by the strand the students study in, and they will receive credits for their GoCap hours. Students must be able to provide their own transportation to their specific destination. The program runs alongside the Springfield Public Schools calendar, they start and stop each semester like normal school hours.

GoCaps is very similar to the OTC program offered to the students here at Fair Grove High School where OTC starts training in the students particular field of interest, giving them a jump start into trade. GoCaps is more of an internship/job shadow experience with professional development.

The program is beneficial to students trying to get a head start on their career. GoCaps allows the students to test if the job they are interested in is a good fit for them and gives them the opportunity to discover other options for a future career. Being apart of the program can also aid in professional skills and development for students and networking, which can help score a future job placement. 

If the program is something students might be interested in, they can stop by the high school office to find more information. “There is an application process and limited spots for our students. They apply starting now, wait to see if they’re selected, then we build their schedule around the program,” Mrs. Tonya Peck stated. Peck, the high schools counselor, is an essential part of the program here at Fair Grove, helping the students get a head start on joining GoCaps. “Students that are interested need to stop by my office for more information!”

Anna Johnston (12) is a Fair Grove High School student a part of the GoCaps program. Anna is in the Medical and Health strand, attending classes in Mercy or Cox. Anna has expressed that she loves the program and that it is beneficial in helping out with her future. She believes that if it’s something you are interested in, you should take initiative to join. “I highly recommend GoCaps to anyone who is interested in healthcare. Also there’s other fields in GoCaps such as Engineering, education, IT, Business and maybe another. So health care is not your only option to look into.”