Community Partnerships

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

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Providing experiences for high school counselors to better advise students seeking careers in healthcare.

Counselors and administrators from all five School District U-46 high schools and the Dream Academy participated in the U-46 Healthcare Day with visits to Elgin Community College (ECC) and Advocate Sherman Hospital on January 27, 2023.

The  event, sponsored by the Alignment Collaborative for Education in partnership with School District U-46, was planned to better equip counselors in guiding students interested in healthcare careers towards appropriate high school course offerings to include CTE program and its Health Sciences course offerings. 

Nancy Coleman, Executive Director, Alignment Collaborative for Education, praised the commitment from Advocate Sherman, ECC, and U-46 in providing this opportunity to high school counselors. “Their experience strengthens their understanding of how healthcare careers can begin and flourish,” said Coleman, “while students are completing their high school experience with a seamless pathway to post-secondary education and optimal employment opportunities.”

The tour at Elgin Community College included visiting health science programs and labs to include certificate and degree programs in Dental Assisting, Medical Assisting, Massage Therapy, Physical Therapy, Nursing, Ophthalmic Technician, Radiology, and Surgical Tech.

“We are excited to introduce these programs to high school counselors to share with students about these high demand career opportunities,” said Wendy Miller, Dean, Health Professions, Math, Science and Engineering, Elgin Community College. “ECC continues to expand its program offerings in the health professions to meet the workforce development needs of our local healthcare industry.”

After the ECC visit, counselors went to Advocate Sherman Hospital and were welcomed by Advocate’s president, Sheri DeShazo.  Following a discussion of Advocate’s role in the community and the healthcare industry, counselors met key department leaders in Medical Lab Services, Nursing, Pharmacy Services, Radiology, Rehabilitation Service, and Respiratory Care.  Counselors learned about current and future job openings and salary data as well as promotion opportunities within each of these healthcare fields. Counselors then visited almost every wing of the hospital to tour each of these operations.

“As a long-time partner of Alignment Collaborative for Education, Advocate Sherman Hospital is honored to host U-46 high school counselors for Alignment’s healthcare career pathways field trip,” said DeShazo. “As the nation faces a healthcare worker shortage it’s increasingly important for us to educate students about these career opportunities, and our local high school counselors are key partners in this effort. Within the field of healthcare, there are many different roles with varying education requirements, so events like this can provide important information for a broad spectrum of healthcare careers that counselors can take back to their students.”

Alignment and School District U-46 are grateful to partner with Advocate Sherman and ECC to engage counselors and students in career exploration within healthcare, one of the strongest and fastest growing industry sectors within the Greater Elgin area. ECC and Advocate Sherman contribute greatly to the economic prosperity of the Elgin area and its quality healthcare system. Both are long-term partners with the Alignment Collaborative for Education and are always looking to the future assisting the region with workforce development initiatives starting in the middle and high schools.