Honkamp, P.C., one of the Quad Cities’ top accounting firms, is looking to build a talent pipeline by offering a new free accounting program this summer for high school students.
The firm’s High School Accounting program will be available for the first time at its Davenport office at 908 W. 35th St. The program has been offered the past two years at Honkamp’s headquarters in Dubuque, Iowa. It allows students to explore the industry and learn about its wide range of future employment possibilities.
The four-week program will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on four Thursdays: July 11, July 18, July 25 and Aug. 1. It is open to current high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. The deadline to sign up is Friday, June 14.
Shareholder Michelle Steining leads Honkamp’s Davenport office, which was voted in the QCBJ’s Best of the Region 2023 publication as the Best Business Consulting Firm in the Quad Cities and as the runner-up for Best Accounting Firm. It also was named by the QCBJ as one of the Coolest Places to Work.
The field of accounting isn’t what many students probably think it is.
If you imagine people crunching endless pages of numbers, think again. Honkamp’s staff works with leading companies not only in the Quad Cities area, but nearly all 50 states, using the latest technology and working to help businesses succeed. In addition, Honkamp specializes in industries that include construction and real estate, manufacturing and distribution, dental practices, restaurants and home health care.
Real-world information
Through the High School Accounting program students are exposed to what the industry is really about, the firm said.
The four sessions will include:
- Explorations of tax, accounting and audit services.
- Hands-on activities.
- “High school to Honkamp” stories –Information from local professors about educational opportunities related to accounting.
- A visit from an Iowa Society of CPAs representative.
The past two years, Honkamp’s Dubuque office has had about 20 students participate. It will offer the program again this summer along with the Davenport office.
In addition to Dubuque and Davenport, Honkamp has locations in Cedar Falls, Hiawatha and Waukee in Iowa; St. Louis, Missouri; and Madison, Platteville and Oshkosh in Wisconsin.
Some past program participants have gone on to do internships with Honkamp. That includes Jacob Kronlage, now a student at University of Iowa. “Honkamp’s High School Accounting program gave me a better understanding of the diverse type of work involved and an opportunity to learn more about the accounting profession,” he said in a news release.
To learn more and sign up, visit honkamp.com/high-school-accounting-program. Email questions to Honkamp Engagement and Retention Manager Richelle Gentile at [email protected].
