Education

 Summer healthcare interns from School Districts U-46, 300, 301 and 303 receive industry certifications in Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA)

Elgin Township provided the first grant to Alignment in 2022 for $9,600 to help fund 75 high school students with paid summer internships as part of its summer enrichment grant program.  Five years later with funding received each year, Elgin Township has funded for 2026, a $21,600 grant to support the growth of paid summer internships for high school students.  Because of Elgin Township’s early commitment of support in 2022, more than 300 students today in 2026 are benefiting from paid summer internship opportunities in their career of choice.

Elgin Township also leads the way in supporting youth mental health. In 2025, Alignment benefiting from United Way Metro Chicago funding, named its second priority area in future workforce development working to ensure that students graduate with a sound foundation in mental health and wellness that prepares them to adequately address their own behavioral health while also being able to relate to mental health concerns faced each day in our schools and in our workplaces.

Elgin Township’s Mental Health Board has embraced this work in the schools helping U-46 and partner community behavioral health organizations pilot the implementation of youth mental health training.  This training is part of a pilot program with U-46’s Larkin High School feeder pattern beginning the work in the elementary and middle schools.

Alignment and the Elgin Neighborhood Network are committed to being sure that high school students have the skills and knowledge to support their own behavioral health. Examples of that commitment include U-46 healthcare students participating in international HOSA student competitions in Indiana next week showcasing the use of social media practices to positively promote youth mental health awareness. 

More than 20 summer healthcare interns from School Districts 300, 301, 303, and U-46 hosted by Advocate Sherman Hospital, Family Service Association of Greater Elgin, and VNA Health Care began their summer internships this week earning Teen Mental Health First Aid training certifications provided by the Kenneth Young Center. 

Alignment is also introducing paid summer internships in the behavioral health professions hosted by Ecker Center, Family Service Association of Greater Elgin, Luna Behavioral Health Center, and Streamwood Behavioral Healthcare System in partnership with Elgin Community College and the “Taking Back the Trades” Grant and Northern Kane County Region 110.

Six interns from Central High School, Elgin High School, Larkin High School, and St. Charles East High School begin manufacturing rotational internships at Hoffer Plastics

Since day one of Alignment’s conception, the Hoffer Family has been at the table encouraging local school districts and the business community to work more strongly together helping Alignment and the region’s school districts build partnerships across the greater Elgin area. As a result of these partnerships, Alignment has advanced the organization from serving less than 5,000 students in 2021 to over 15,000 students in 2026, growing business and community partnerships.

Hoffer Plastics was also at the table early in the building of the summer internship program. The company offered the first engineering and manufacturing rotational internship for students to experience firsthand, advanced manufacturing processes within the plastic injection molding industry. Having served for a decade on Alignment’s Governing Board, Hoffer has contributed its corporate leadership to benefit Alignment’s work in the schools shaping a future workforce that will allow the greater Elgin economy to thrive for the next decade.

Students prepare to go to work with internship and Job Fair opportunities

From Career Panels offering industry insights for future career planning, to Resume Workshops providing guidance on planning, resume building and interviewing skills, to career exploration through Summer Internships, Alignment is working hard to prepare our region’s students for future career success!

Career Panel at Bartlett High School Equips Students with Valuable Job Insights

Alignment’s Career Panel at Bartlett High School reached nearly 500 students with vital industry insights for future career planning. The program began with a comprehensive general assembly, then transitioned into breakout sessions. In smaller groups, students engaged with professionals across Automotive, Business, Culinary, Engineering, Healthcare, and IT fields through focused industry panel discussions, gaining a clearer roadmap for their professional journeys.

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Resume Workshops Provide Students with Interviewing Skills in Preparation for Summer Employment and Internship Opportunities

Over 1,900 students throughout all four school districts benefited from resume and interview skill workshops. Providing resume guidance and conducting mock interview sessions, both in person and online, students applied dynamic career skills in preparation for summer employment and internship opportunities. 

Central High School’s first Student Resource Day provided students with with specific programming dedicated to each grade level.  Students received assistance in behavioral interviewing, career and technical education (CTE) course selection, the fastest growing careers, personal finance, postsecondary opportunities, etc.

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Summer Internship Applications Open

The Summer Internship Application Acceptance opened on Monday, March 2 for students enrolled in School Districts U-46, 300, 301, and 303.

The summer internship program is a work-based learning opportunity that allows students to explore a career through placement with a local employer. Students applying for the internships are primarily juniors entering their senior year of high school. Priority will be given to students who have taken a sequence of advanced career and technical education courses, or those students enrolled in academies. All internships are competitive, and placement is not guaranteed.

Students will apply through their school district. The Alignment Collaborative for Education and the Northern Kane County Region 110 will match students to placement based on the student’s experience, academic performance, and career interests. Hosting organizations will make the final decision on student placement through a resume review and interview process.

Student applications are due by Monday, March 16, 2026.

Teachers across the region had the opportunity to visit with Flender as part of Kane County Institute Day on Friday, February 27, learning first-hand, what it takes to build and repair high precision gear boxes necessary to power wind turbine systems. 

Automotive and electronics teachers from Dundee Crown and Hampshire high schools quickly made the connection of what they teach daily to students applied on a much larger scale.  Flender continues to make a powerful contribution to the Elgin community breaking ground in mid 2025 on a new facility adjacent to the service center which will include expanded warehouse operations and parts storage along with in-house gear regrinding.