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Alignment Collaborative for Education - ACE

Education

Work-Based Learning Initiated in all U-46 High Schools

Work-Based Learning Initiated in all U-46 High Schools
Streamwood Academy students participate in entrepreneurial and international business career panel

Alignment in partnership with School District U-46 is launching U-46’s system wide work based learning plan.  Working with each high school principal, Alignment is providing career panels in each of the five high schools and the Dream Academy partnering with industry professionals representing various industry clusters. Alignment will also provide industry and professional tours for specific student audiences to include such programs as automotive, early education, engineering, health care and manufacturing.  Career panels to date have served over 1,100 students. 

Thank you to our panelists representing the following companies and organizations:  Advocate Sherman Hospital, AVID CNA, City of Elgin Police Department, Elgin Community College, Elgin Sweeper, HLR, ITW Shakeproof, Junior Achievement, Nokia, PNC Bank, SGS, School District U-46, Streamwood Behavioral Healthcare System, Taylor Family YMCA, The Overture Group, and Village of Streamwood.

U-46 District-Wide Work Based Learning Plan

School District U-46 high school principals gathered on January 9th to collaborate with Alignment on a district-wide plan to implement work based learning opportunities for all students.  The plan will follow guidelines established in the Illinois Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) framework, ensuring students meet career-related benchmarks at each grade level. 

A pilot will launch in February 2020 with career panels in all five high schools and the Dream Academy. Throughout the remainder of the semester, the pilot will include industry tours and job shadowing experiences for sophomore students, an expansion of the 40-hour internship pilot for junior students, and a job fair for senior students intending to enter the workforce immediately following graduation.

The district-wide work based learning plan will be a key component to the U-46 Educational Pathways implementation to support U-46 College and Career Academies.

“We are hoping to empower students to explore a field of interest and learn more about themselves in the process,” says Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education Lela Majstorovic. “The end goal is not simply graduating from high school; the end goal is for our students to graduate with a plan and multiple options for the next step in their journey.”

Mayor Kaptain Names Alignment as a Priority in 2020

Elgin Mayor David Kaptain

When asked by the Daily Herald to identify the most important thing he hopes the community can accomplish in 2020, Mayor Kaptain responded “Our greatest successes happen when we plan for the long-term needs of our community. A prepared and educated workforce is fundamental to that. The city will continue to be a leader in the Alignment Collaborative for Education, a partnership with Elgin Area School District U-46, with commitments from more than 130 organizations to work together on new ways to improve educational outcomes and better connect our students to local jobs. From our youngest students to those ready for a career, we are all working hard to set up our future generations for success.”  

Read the full Daily Herald article here.

Bartlett High School STEM Academy Visits Harting North America

Freshmen students from Bartlet's STEM Academy visit Harting North America in Elgin, ILBig thanks to HARTING-North America in Elgin for sharing your day with more than 90 freshmen from the Bartlett High School STEM Academy. Students worked in teams on production questions and building a connector kit, listened to engineers talk about their work and took a tour of the facility where the company manufactures products for the connector industry. These connectors are used in mechanical and plant engineering, broadcast and entertainment, factory automation, power generation and distribution.

Student Ronit Nagarapu said he learned a lot about the different types of engineering jobs and the visit “solidified my decision to become an engineer.” Freshman Jessica Pearce said she’s not yet sure about her career path but valued the visit saying “I do think experiences like this will help me make up my mind.”

Kudos to the team at HARTING for helping arrange the visit.

Freshmen students from Bartlet's STEM Academy visit Harting North America in Elgin, IL

Nicor Energy Grant Funded

Nicor Energy Grant FundedThe Alignment Collaborative for Education received $5,000 in funding under Nicor’s The Path to Social Mobility and Enhanced Opportunities Includes Education and Career Readiness grant program. Alignment’s role is to build business and community partnerships that collaboratively offer students within School District U-46, opportunities to participate in a comprehensive career education and work readiness program. This program prepares students to gain industry recognized credentials while still in high school so that students upon graduation can immediately enter the workforce and have the necessary foundation for post-secondary education and training.  We greatly appreciate the support of Jim Griffin, Nicor’s Vice President of Operations and member of Alignment’s Governing Board.