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Alignment Collaborative for Education - ACE

Career Education

High School Students Benefit from Manufacturing Partner Experiences

Working with Northern Kane County Region 110, Alignment had the opportunity to partner students and teachers with local manufacturers celebrating October as Manufacturing Month. School districts U-46, 300, 301, and 303 all partnered together to provide this experience to students.
 
Bartlett High School’s Freshmen STEM Academy students, just beginning to consider different roles in engineering within the manufacturing industry, toured both Harting and Matrix as part of celebrating Manufacturing Month. Approximately 85 students benefited from this experience while another 45 seniors from Larkin High School and St. Charles North High School visited Hoffer Plastics and Lakeview Precision, learning about employment opportunities available following graduation in May.
 
Alignment and Northern Kane County Region 110 thank the participating companies for generously opening their doors to students. Employer enthusiasm for the day made it such a successful experience. Joe Paglia, Director of Team and Member Services, tied it to Matrix’s mission “Develop Great People. Build a Great Company. Deliver Great Results. We love sharing that with anyone and everyone who will listen!”

Students view Matrix’s robotics equipment
Students learn about Matrix’s automated design processes
Students tour Harting’s operations
Students learn Harting’s “Core Market” strategy
Students learn about Hoffer’s custom injection plastic molding processes
Hoffer Plastic’s group photo
Lakeview Precision group photo
Students learn about Lakeview’s precision machining processes

Future Teacher Pipeline Conference Hosted at NIU

NIU Teacher Pipeline Conference 2023

On Wednesday, October 18, students from School District U-46, District 300, and District 301 spent the day at Northern Illinois University’s Teacher Pipeline Conference. The morning started for students from Larkin, Elgin, Dundee Crown, and Central with a keynote address, followed by various breakout sessions. Students finished the day listening to a panel of current education students who talked about classes and postsecondary advice.

“A day like today is important for two reasons,” says Jason Kline, Senior Director of Learning Partnerships at NIU. “The teacher pipeline pathway work that we all partner in is critical for ensuring high-quality teachers that represent our diverse student population. The second reason is being sure that NIU attracts students that represent this regional diversity with success for all students being central to our mission.”

Thank you Northern Illinois University and Northern Kane County Region 110 for your partnership hosting this event!

Senior Postsecondary Day Reaches Over 600 Students

More than 25 universities, colleges, and organizations joined Alignment and School District U-46 for the second Senior Postsecondary Virtual Day on October 11. There were 683 individual seniors who attended the event with university and college admissions staff and visiting faculty along with receiving assistance with FAFSA, future employment opportunities, military service, and NCAA eligibility.

For students who are undecided about their interest in postsecondary colleges and universities, sessions were also facilitated by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). The session reviewed the current labor market, hiring projections within the local community, and tips on how to best access job openings and navigate the application process.

Thank you to the following colleges, universities, and organizations for partnering with Alignment and U-46 to offer the Senior Postsecondary Day:

Aurora University
Bradley University
College of DuPage
DePaul University
Elgin Community College
Elmhurst University
Harper College
Honest Game – NCAA Academic Eligibility
Illinois Department of Employment Security
Illinois State University
Iowa State University
Judson University
Lewis University
Loyola University
Marquette University
Milwaukee School of Engineering

Morehouse College
North Central College
Northern Illinois University
Purdue University
Roosevelt University
Southern Illinois University
Universal Technical Institute
University of Dayton
University of Illinois Chicago
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Iowa
University of Missouri
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
U.S. Armed Forces
Western Illinois University

U-46 Automotive Teachers Benefit from ALTORFER CAT Training

U-46 automotive teachers from Bartlett, Elgin, South Elgin, and Streamwood spent the day with Altorfer’s trainers to learn more about the large equipment maintenance industry. The Altorfer team highlighted troubleshooting and research processes commonly used in the industry. This training held at Elgin High School was provided “hands on” because of the generous donation of engines to U-46’s automotive programs. The day also gave opportunities for networking and team building across the high schools.

Clint Peterson, automotive teacher and event host from Elgin High School, described the training as a “valuable opportunity to learn together and a great experience for collaborating with peers and business partners.”  The Alignment Collaborative for Education thanks Altorfer and the AED Foundation for introducing teachers and students to career exploration and employment opportunities in the large equipment maintenance industry.

Thank You to the Seigle Foundation

Mark and Robin Seigle with Governing Board Chair Bill Wright at EXPLORE 2022
Robin and Mark Seigle with Alignment Governing Board Chair Bill Wright at EXPLORE 2022

Thank you to the Seigle Foundation and its commitment to Alignment’s mission to provide future workforce development programs and services that give students the opportunity across the region to graduate academic and career ready. The Seigle Foundation awarded a total of $283,000 to educational organizations in the region. Alignment is excited and honored to be named as one of those organizations.

In a recent article in the Daily Herald, Nancy Coleman, Alignment’s executive director expressed our appreciation to the Seigle Foundation. “Alignment greatly appreciates the Seigle Foundation for its investment in future workforce development. Thank you for your human and financial contribution to our shared commitment that students graduate academic and career ready prepared for continued success.”

Here is the link to the Daily Herald’s June 27, 2023 original article on the Seigle Foundation:
https://www.dailyherald.com/submitted/20230627/seigle-foundation-grants-surpass-10-million-mark

Here is the link to the August 28, 2023 updated article “Recent Seigle Foundation grants bring giving to over $1 million”:
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20230828/recent-seigle-foundation-grants-bring-giving-to-over-1-million

Elgin High School Hosts Automotive, Electrical, Engineering, Healthcare, Large Equipment Maintenance, Manufacturing, and Welding Career Opportunities

On April 26, Elgin High School in partnership with Alignment invited business professionals to its campus to share with students high demand apprenticeship and job opportunities in automotive, electrical, engineering, healthcare, large equipment maintenance, manufacturing, and welding.

Violetta Losowski, counselor for Elgin High School, coordinated the event with teachers and students. “Students have the opportunity for real world information on several careers in technical fields. We welcome this incredible opportunity.” Violetta and the teachers worked together to identify students with interest in these careers and as a result of their efforts, over 250 students benefited from the event.

Alignment appreciates its business and post-secondary partners, who chose to spend their day motivating students about the future. Their advice helped the students know how to navigate their high school experience to best prepare for these professions.

Participating Organizations

Advocate Sherman Hospital
Altorfer
AVID CNA School
Bob Loquercio Auto Group
Elgin Community College
Elgin Sweeper
IBEW Local 117

Illinois Department of Employment Security
ITW Shakeproof
Lauderdale Electric
Manufacturing Careers Internship Program
Nicor Gas
Well Child Center