Kennedy King College’s Dawson Technical Institute (DTI) celebrated female inclusion in the trades with its annual Mentoring a Girl in Construction (MAGIC) event. Sixty four students from local Chicago Public Schools participated in a free, one-day, workshop designed to introduce school aged girls to exciting careers in construction. MAGIC offers young ladies the opportunity to learn about countless avenues of employment available to women in the construction industry and to engage them via hands on demonstrations. Students toured DTI and dialoged with a panel of industry professional women sharing their experiences about the construction trades and offered advice to help young women become more informed and successful with their respective career paths. Current female Dawson Tech students joined the conversation with the panelists centered around involvement, empowerment, and valuing women’s contribution to the workplace and the recognition of female worth in non-traditional jobs for women.

Students toured DTI’s Carpentry, Welding, Plumbing, Gas Utility and Overhead Electrical Line Worker labs, participated in hands on demonstrations and ate lunch with the female construction students and industry professionals. Schools participating in the event included Woodson Elementary School, Al Raby High School, and Christian Fenger High School.  Volunteers from the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Kiewitt Construction, FH Paschen Construction, Antionette Mitchelle Consulting LLC, and Dawson Technical Institute worked in partnership to make this event a success.

At the ICCET Conference in October, the Board presented the Exemplary Program Award to Pat Kallaus (Coordinator of Shah Center Operations) from McHenry County College.  From one concept in 2018, Pat worked with Catherine Jones (Associate Vice President of Workforce Development) and a number of local organizations to develop a total of three programs.  Starting with Step Forward (Stateline Transforming Employment Potential), five session (two hours/week) workshop was developed focusing on work readiness for job seekers with a non-violent, criminal background.  The program allowed participants who are newly released from jail, gain basic skills to help address the felony with employers and gain confidence to interview, obtain and sustain employment.

Upon completion, participants are given a certificate of attendance and strongly encouraged to complete a WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) application at the workforce network to access more programs and resources.  Working in partnership with the courts, four workshops have now been held with increased participation at each workshop.  Following the success of the workshops, it was evident that the participants who were applying for manufacturing apprenticeships were not equipped with basic skills.

Because of that, the Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program was developed for WIOA clients including this re-entry population.  This six-week, 180-hour program provides training in both soft skills and industry basics.  The first program in April/May 2019 started with nine participants with four completions.  Another date is scheduled for this fall.

The ICCB and IBHE jointly released the Illinois Postsecondary Profiles tool on October 10, 2019. The data and accountability website provides stakeholders with a powerful but user-friendly platform to access pertinent information on Enrollment, Affordability, Progress, Advancement, and Completion for 2- and 4-year Illinois higher education institutions.

Dual Credit allows academically prepared high school students to simultaneously earn credits that count toward a high school diploma and a college degree. Dual Credit instruction delivers a “win-win” arrangement for all parties: students gain access to challenging college-level coursework to make their junior and senior years of high school more productive; students can prove to others and themselves that they have the ability to succeed in college; college costs can be reduced for parents and students; time-to-degree at college can be shortened; and the enhanced high school and college faculty dialogue can contribute to a better alignment between secondary and postsecondary education.

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Betsy DeVos, United States Secretary of Education, visited Waubonsee Community College campus.  She toured the Automotive Technology, Manufacturing & HVAC facilities and held a round-table discussion with several students and faculty members.

Rock Valley College has a new avenue in assisting at-risk students in gateway courses for CTE pathways.  The Supplemental Instruction Program trains students who successfully completed a CTE gateway class to facilitate collaborative study sessions.   The SI Program’s non-remedial approach to learning guides students toward completion by combining “What to Learn” with “How to Learn.” Through peer-led group study sessions outside of class, the SI Leader guides students through the most difficult course concepts. Students engage in collaborative group activities that enhance their knowledge of the course content.

Not only are current RVC students benefiting from a free and fun alternative to traditional learning but the RVC SI Leaders are also learning important leadership skills and improving their professional writing abilities. The Supplemental Instruction Program at RVC is a “Win-Win” situation for both the SI Students and the SI Leaders.

Rock Valley College has just completed a third semester of the Supplemental Instruction Program. The SI Program at RVC has been very successful and shows an increase in retention of students in Fall 2019 who attended an SI session in Spring 2019.

As the third largest community college system in the country, Illinois community colleges serve over 600,000 residents each year in credit, noncredit and continuing education courses. The Illinois community college system, made up of 48 colleges, has over 4,265 active, approved CTE programs spanning across all 16 Career Clusters®, which provide high-quality, accessible, cost-effective educational opportunities to the entire state.

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A federal grant will allow the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) to serve more than 1,600 apprentices in pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs that will lead to employment in the information technology sector.

The $4.0 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, announced earlier this month, will support the development and expansion of apprenticeship programs in partnership with ten Illinois community colleges that represent the geographic and demographic diversity of the state. “The community college apprenticeship programs integrate classroom learning with paid employment,” said Dr. Lazaro Lopez, chairman of the ICCB. “Apprenticeship programs are critical to supporting economic development in communities across our state by creating seamless pathways for residents to acquire the skills to meet employer workforce needs.”

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The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) is inviting the 48 Illinois community colleges to apply for the Workforce Equity Initiative. The ICCB will provide grant-funding opportunities in fiscal year 2020 (beginning September 18, 2019) that focuses on improving workforce equity in at-risk communities. Application submissions must be received by September 16, 2019.

The purpose of this grant is to create, support, or expand short-term workforce (credit and/or noncredit) training opportunities in high-need communities focused on specific sectors with identified workforce gaps.

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