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Alignment Collaborative for Education - ACE

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Alignment Launches Summer Internships with 24 Partner Organizations

Alignment - Summer Interns at Advocate Sherman Hospital
Advocate Sherman Hospital, Pharmacy Tech Interns

New Internship Opportunities Offered in 11 Career Fields

Alignment in partnership with Northern Kane County Region 110 and School District U-46 is offering more than 80 paid summer internship opportunities to high school students from school districts U-46, 300, and 301. Eleven career fields are highlighted this summer such as the new pilot program in pharmacy sponsored by Advocate Sherman Hospital.  Elgin Sweeper has expanded its internship opportunities to include both engineering and welding experiences. Once again, Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc. in partnership with Judson University will provide 15 students experiences in architecture, civil engineering, and design. These are just a few examples of what the summer has to offer to high school students.

Stay tuned to learn more about these internships, the hosting organizations, and the students excelling through these experiences.

Thank you to the following organizations and our school districts for hosting these career exploration opportunities:

Advocate Sherman Hospital
Alignment Collaborative for Education
ALTA
The Atrium at Oak Crest Residence
Bartlett Park District
City of Elgin
Downtown Neighborhood Association
Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce
Elgin Partnership for Early Learning (EPEL)
Elgin Sweeper
Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc.
Hanover Township

ITW Shakeproof
Judson University
Northern Kane County Region 110
Office of State Representative Anna Moeller
Reishauer
School District U-46
Streamwood Park District
Talent First
Taylor Family YMCA
Village of Bartlett
Well Child Center
79Ratio

Elgin Sweeper
Streamwood Park District
YMCA
Village of Bartlett
Village of Streamwwod
Electriflex
ITW Shakeproof
Reishauer

Future Teachers Tour Judson University

Students from Bartlett, Larkin, and South Elgin high schools visited Judson’s School of Education to view the array of programs Judson offers in preparing the next decade of teachers. Thirty-two (32) students from the Education CTE programs participated in the day as part of Alignment’s efforts in partnership with U-46, District 300, and District 301 to regionally build a teacher pipeline. Nancy Coleman, Alignment’s executive director praised the volunteers leading this program. “We had the opportunity to visit NIU in the fall and Judson in the spring to showcase two institutions of higher learning making great contributions to address the teacher shortage.” Alignment is thankful to the Judson School of Education for investing these resources in students considering teaching as their future profession.

Larkin High School CTE Awards Day

Larkin High School seniors were recognized for their achievements while enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) courses including culinary, education, engineering and healthcare programs. Career and technical education (CTE) teachers had the opportunity to celebrate the students’ accomplishments as these seniors prepare to graduate on May 27, 2023 at the NOW Arena.  

Alignment’s executive director, Nancy Coleman, participated in the awards ceremony by providing the keynote address. Coleman praised the students for utilizing their high school experience to prepare for future careers where many of these students graduate with highly marketable skills and certifications. As Coleman asked students “What’s Next?”, she encouraged “seniors to take advantage of opportunities, set goals, and find a career that challenges you to showcase your best performance”.

Alignment wishes to recognize all U-46 career and technical education (CTE) teachers for their contributions to ensuring students have the opportunity to graduate academic and career ready. 

CTE teachers: Amanda Long, Healthcare; Diane Kriescher, Engineering; Aurora Scarpaci, Education; and Katie Thompson, Business.

Alignment hosts 2023 Senior Job Fair for Career and Technical Education Students

Seniors Prepare for Employment at Job Fair 

Nearly 400 high school students from School District U-46 and Central School District 301 attended the Senior CTE (career and technical education) Job Fair on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at Elgin Community College. Representatives from about 60 businesses, corporations, non-profits, municipalities, trade unions, colleges, and universities were present to meet with students. “An event like this shows students, as they’re preparing their postsecondary plans, that there are good options to work directly after high school, which also prepare them to be more competitive as they seek their long-term career goals” said Alignment Executive Director Nancy Coleman. 

From all indications, this year’s job fair was an immediate success. “At least three job offers were made on the spot at the event,” said Terry Stroh, Executive Director, Northern Kane County Region 110 “including service technician positions at local auto dealerships and a maintenance position with a large equipment facility.” 

“We were impressed by how many students know the direction they want to go after high school.” said Chad Randich, the business unit manager at Elgin Sweeper. He noted many students he spoke to were interested in a career in welding, a vital role at the company. U-46 offers a welding certification for students and its lab at Elgin High School is an accredited testing facility.

Mitchell Briesemeister, U-46 Director of Educational Pathways, remarked, “This is a place where we can connect high-wage, high-demand opportunities to our students who are choosing to explore entering the workforce immediately after high school. It is also a great way for our students to leverage the industry credentials they’ve earned in our high schools, which are valuable to our local partners.”

Students who attended the Senior CTE Job Fair benefitted from the experience. Jesse Villagomez, a senior at Elgin High School, spoke with representatives from Hoffer Plastics. He was intrigued by the variety of products Hoffer Plastics produces, such as car speaker covers. A speaker was on displayed on the table for students to view up close.   

Villagomez is currently enrolled in Culinary Arts courses and he is grateful he will be able to cook confidently for himself, family, and friends.  As far as a career, he is looking at other fields.  “I don’t mind working hard,” he said. “The job fair opened my mind a little bit more. It’s making me flex my mind, thinking, ‘Is this what I want to do, or is it something more like this?’”.

Alignment’s community-wide work has focused on helping businesses offer educational experiences for students to demonstrate the link between high school completion and workplace opportunities.

Mark Seigle of the Seigle Foundation visited the event and was impressed at the large scale participation.  He complimented Alignment on its success and said, “I spoke to a student who said he loved it and an employer who noted it was a great use of his time.”

Thank You Business and Community Partners

Automotive/Large Equipment
Altorfer CAT
Belle Tire
Bob Loquercio Auto Group
Lincoln College of Technology
Mechanics Local 701
Standard Equipment
U-46 Transportation
UTI
West Side Tractor

Manufacturing
CV-Tek
ECC Apprenticeship Program
Electriflex
Hoffer Plastics
MAPAI
MCIP
Middleby

Welding
ECC Welding
Elgin Sweeper
S&C Electric

Culinary
Andy’s Frozen Custard
Culver’s
ECC Culinary
U-46 Food Services

Employment Services
Manpower

Business/Operations
Fisher Nuts – John B. Sanfilippo & Sons
KCT Credit Union
Nicor
State Farm
TBK Bank
U-46 Human Resources
U-46 Plant Operations

Education
Bartlett Park District
City of Elgin Parks and Rec
ECC Education Department
Judson University
Northern Illinois University
Primrose School of South Elgin
Streamwood Park District
YMCA

Healthcare
Advocate Sherman Hospital
Bella Terra Streamwood
ECC: Dental Assisting, Medical Assisting, Ophthalmic Tech
Forest View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
Fox Valley Orthopaedic Associates
Gateway Express Clinic
Highland Oaks of Elgin
Illinois Pain and Spine Institute
Ascension Saint Joseph
The Atrium at Oak Crest Residents
Walgreens

Thank You to Our Sponsors

AED Foundation
Advocate Sherman Hospital
City of Elgin
Elgin Community College
Elgin Township
Exelon
Grand Victoria Foundation

Hoffer Foundation
David and Sandy Kaptain
Nicor Gas
Seigle Foundation
United Way Metro Chicago
Zurich Insurance

Automotive
Large Equipment
Manufacturing
Welding
Business
Culinary
Education
Healthcare
Employment Services

United Way of Metro Chicago Launches Neighborhood Network in Elgin with Leadership Gift from Nicor Gas Foundation

Alignment Collaborative for Education will lead
the vision and work of the Elgin Neighborhood Network

United Way of Metro Chicago, in collaboration with founding supporter Nicor Gas Foundation and lead partner agency Alignment Collaborative for Education, has announced the expansion of its Neighborhood Network Initiative in Elgin. Establishing a Neighborhood Network in Elgin empowers local neighborhood leaders to leverage a multi-year investment from Nicor Gas Foundation and support from United Way to identify and solve issues important to their community.
   
“United Way has a long-standing relationship and partnership with the Elgin community,” said United Way of Metro Chicago President and CEO Sean Garrett. “Along with the Nicor Gas Foundation, we are thrilled to work with our partners at Alignment Collaborative for Education to launch the Elgin Neighborhood Network and reaffirm United Way’s commitment to the residents of Elgin. Our goal is to continue to work together to build a community where everyone can reach their potential and thrive.”  

“As the founding supporter of the Elgin Neighborhood Network, the Nicor Gas Foundation is honored to join United Way of Metro Chicago and our community partners on this transformative investment,” said Nicor Gas President and CEO Wendell Dallas. “We are committed to advancing equity in education for all young people. Nicor Gas is proud to support the Elgin Neighborhood Network and work in partnership with Alignment Collaborative for Education to provide workforce training opportunities and job readiness programs to better prepare high school students to pursue fulfilling careers.”

“The launch of the Elgin Neighborhood Network is a gamechanger for the Elgin community,” said Alignment Collaborative for Education Executive Director Nancy Coleman. “We are grateful for United Way of Metro Chicago and the Nicor Gas Foundation for believing in our work and joining our strong coalition of community leaders to ensure all people can thrive in Elgin, starting with crucial education and workforce development programming for our youth.”

Alignment and U-46 Host Second Annual HBCU Postsecondary Panel

Students and Parents/Families Visit with U-46 Alumni 

Alignment in partnership with School District U-46 hosted its second annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) postsecondary panel on February 27 in recognition of Black History Month. Students and parents/families had the opportunity to visit with U-46 alumni currently enrolled in HBCU institutions including Dasani Johnson, a 2022 graduate of Larkin High School and current student at Howard University, and Kamaria Bush, a graduate of South Elgin High School and current graduate student studying biomedical engineering at North Carolina A&T.   

Students and parents/families also had the opportunity to visit with City of Elgin Councilman Corey Dixon, a graduate of Elgin High School and Grambling State University.  For specific information regarding the university admissions process, Alignment and U-46 were joined by Roger Gray, admissions representative for Tuskegee University serving the Illinois territory. Students benefited from learning about why panelists chose to attend an HBCU as their postsecondary choice along with advice from all panelists about how best to proceed in selecting a postsecondary institution to include discussions about financial aid and scholarship opportunities.

Teresa A. Lance, U-46 assistant superintendent for equity and innovation, praised the panelists for their role in “inspiring and encouraging students and their parents/families to explore the opportunities that HBCU institutions offer to students as they prepare for their postsecondary experience”.  Dr. Lance also expressed her appreciation to the parents and families joining the session in support of their students’ goals and aspirations.

Alignment as part of its involvement in U-46’s district wide equity work is committed to exposing students and their families to an array of postsecondary opportunities so that students are ready to make informed decisions upon graduation.