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Internships

First Responder Internship Expands

July 1, 2025

The Program has Attracted 20 Students From School Districts U-46, 300, and 301

Bartlett Police Department, Hanover Park Fire Department, and Hanover Township Emergency Management Services Interns
Elgin Fire and Police Department Interns

Article by Riley Penar, Central High School and Emily O’Hearn, Larkin High School.

Bartlett Police Department, Hanover Park Fire Department, and Hanover Township Emergency Management Services offered ten students a comprehensive exposure to First Responder professions. New this year, the Elgin Fire Department and Elgin Police Department hosted their own pilot program where an additional ten interns gained experience in emergency management, fire, and public safety.

On site at the seven fire stations in Elgin, along with Hanover Park’s Station 15, interns worked alongside First Responder professionals learning fire-fighting procedures and emergency medical skills, while also earning their CPR and Stop the Bleed certifications. Bartlett and Elgin Police Departments focused on dispatch communications, search and seizure procedures, excessive force parameters and overall public safety while also partnering with Hanover Township Emergency Management Services.

The students described this internship as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that deepened their understanding of careers in public safety. An average student’s summer does not typically consist of going to fire and police stations and spending their time with local heroes. Bernie Nevares, a firefighter and paramedic from Hanover Park encouraged the students to “push yourself as far as you can go”. This valuable opportunity taught these twenty students how to cope with stressful situations, gain new perspectives, and get over the fear of asking questions. Students in the Elgin program visited with Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley as she reflected on her 30 years of experience, encouraging students to understand the “why” of selecting this profession and staying true to that commitment.

Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley shares insights with the student interns. (left) Bartlett Police student interns learn about forensics. (right)

Nathan Shanley, an incoming Junior at South Elgin High School stated, “It has been really unique. I received great exposure to the fire service industry, and it definitely made me reconsider my career options because this has been such a cool experience.” Opportunities like this do not come often, so when a student is interested in becoming a First Responder they are highly encouraged to apply for this internship. The value and solidification in their career decisions are what the program encourages. The connections that are made with instructors and fellow interns is why this internship stands out.

Furthering a student’s education in the work environment is a main priority of Alignment. Students having fun while doing it is an added benefit! Thank you to the Bartlett Police Department, Elgin Fire and Police Departments, Hanover Park Fire Department, and Hanover Township Emergency Services for an opportunity of a lifetime.

For an overview of our First Responder Internships this year, please view our video:

Article by Riley Penar, Central High School (left) and Emily O’Hearn, Larkin High School (right), serving as interns for the Alignment Collaborative for Education.

Filed Under: Alignment, Community Partnerships, Internships

Lakeview Precision Manufacturing Hosts Student Interns

June 23, 2025

Lakeview Manufacturing interns with their summer projects
Lakeview Precision Manufacturing interns show off their final prototype projects

Lakeview Precision Manufacturing hosted students from Central, Hampshire, St. Charles East and St. Charles North high schools as part of Alignment and Northern Kane County Region 110’s summer internship program. Students had the opportunity to design and manufacture prototypes from their experiences.

Thank you to the Lakeview team for providing this wonderful opportunity for these students.

Filed Under: Alignment, Community Partnerships, Internships

City of Elgin First Responder Pilot Program Draws Ten Interns

June 20, 2025

Alignment and City of Elgin Partner for First Responder Summer Internships
Elgin Fire Department “First Responder” interns on their first day.

Alignment has partnered with the Elgin Fire Department to launch the “First Responder” summer internship program. Ten students were deployed to stations throughout Elgin in early June.

Thank you to the City of Elgin and the Elgin Fire Department for making this opportunity possible.

Filed Under: Alignment, Community Partnerships, Internships

Seniors Share How Internships Change Trajectory of Life After High School

February 5, 2025

2025 Internship Host Breakfast

Alignment, Northern Kane County Region 110, and ECC Celebrate Industry Host Partners

Partnering with Northern Kane County Region 110 and Elgin Community College, Alignment hosted its first Internship Recognition Breakfast for all organizations hosting summer interns in 2024. More than 100 guests attended the event at ECC with 41 organizations honored for hosting the 146 students that participated in the program during 2024. The event also attracted more than a dozen organizations interested in learning how they might become an internship host site in 2025.

Six student interns from Central, Dundee Crown, Hampshire, Larkin, and Streamwood high schools shared how their internship experiences shaped their future career plans as they prepare to graduate in May.  Industry representatives from Advocate Sherman Hospital, Bartlett Police Department, Bob Loquercio Auto Group, Elgin State Bank, Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc., Hoffer Plastics, and West Side Tractor discussed their internship model with prospective companies describing how their organizations designed the internship opportunity to meet the minimum 60 hour requirement for students to receive academic credit combined with students being paid for those hours.

Gina De rosier Cook, Dean of Workforce Development and Continuing Education at Elgin Community College, announced a second year of Take Back the Trades grant funding to sponsor 75 high school students this year, a 50% increase from 2024 along with funding provided by corporate partners, municipalities, the United Way Elgin Neighborhood Network, Elgin Township, the Seigle Foundation and investments by School Districts U-46, 300, 301, and recently committed St. Charles Community Unit School District 303. Terry Stroh, Director, Northern Kane County Region 110, predicts that with this funding base and the support of the business community, 200 students could be placed throughout the region’s industry sectors to include automotive, business, culinary, engineering, financial services, health care, heavy equipment, manufacturing, municipal services, and welding.

Alignment and Northern Kane County Region 110 are working to identify all internship opportunities with completed position descriptions by March 3, 2025 opening the application process to 11 high schools by March 10, 2025. If your organization is interested in offering internships for Summer 2025, please contact Nancy Coleman at colemanace@align4edu.org or Terry Stroh at terry.stroh@central301.net for further information.

For highlights of the Breakfast, please see Rick West’s Daily Herald article ‘We really are changing lives’: Internship program helps students make post-high school plans

Filed Under: Alignment, Education, Internships

Strong Collaborations Lead to $8 Million for Youth Apprenticeships

September 12, 2024

Brian McGuire, President and CEO, AED Foundation; Illinois State Senator Cristina Castro; U.S. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi; Mark Toulos, Operating Engineers Local 150; Melissa Owens, President, U-46 Board of Education; Eric Hill, CEO, Youth Workforce Development Foundation

Thank you to Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) Foundation and Youth Workforce Development Foundation (YWDF)

South Elgin High School made the news serving as the announcement site for an $8 million dollar grant awarded through the Build America program to help high school students across the state access apprenticeship programs in heavy machine maintenance and operations. Led by Alignment’s partner, the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) Foundation, in partnership with the Youth Workforce Development Foundation (YWDF), and  SkillsUSA Illinois, Eric Hill, CEO of YWDF, shared with the greater Elgin community the framework for the grant to build youth-focused apprenticeships that create a “pipeline to long-term career opportunities in the heavy equipment space”.  

Brian McGuire, president of the AED Foundation joined by U.S. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Illinois State Senator Cristina Castro, together shared the importance and significance of this grant to train the future workforce in a career field projecting 40,000 job vacancies. Across the region, Terry Stroh, director, Northern Kane County Region 110, has worked in partnership with school districts U-46, 300, and 301 to expand career options for students enrolled in the region’s automotive CTE programs.  

Just this past summer, Alignment joined efforts across Region 110 to offer paid summer internship opportunities to automotive students hosted by ALTA, West Side Tractor, and the Bob Loquercio Auto Group. Sean Fitzgerrel, Vice President of the AED Foundation, led efforts to bring Alignment, Region 110, and YWDC together sharing that “the Alignment Collaborative played a pivotal role in securing ABA Round 2 funding. Through strategic partnerships and a shared vision, they amplified our effort, demonstrating the collective power of collaboration in driving workforce development and educational advancement.”

Brian McGuire, President and CEO, AED Foundation; Illinois State Senator Cristina Castro; U.S. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi; Mark Toulos, Operating Engineers Local 150; Melissa Owens, President, U-46 Board of Education; Eric Hill, CEO, Youth Workforce Development Foundation
Steve Schertz, U-46 Automotive Teacher, State Senator Cristina Castro, Esther Mongan, Superintendent, Central Unit School District 301
U.S. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi
ALTA Interns
ALTA Intern
West Side Tractor Interns
West Side Tractor Interns
Bob Loquercio Auto Group Interns

Filed Under: Alignment, Community Awareness, Grant Awards, Internships

Interns Experience What Makes Businesses and Organizations Successful

August 22, 2024

High school interns, hosted this summer by more than a dozen of Alignment’s partners, gained knowledge and experience in how businesses operate from designing marketing plans and developing social media communications to understanding financial performance and the critical role of customer service and retention. Other students excelled at culinary and hospitality experiences, governmental affairs, video production, media releases, etc.

Students were placed in multiple industry clusters ranging from automotive dealerships to financial institutions along with municipal and non-profit business exposure. Host partners shared career experiences in accounting, business communications, finance, and marketing showing students that this industry sector of careers exist in all types of businesses from large corporations and branch operations to small business ventures.

Information technology internships were also very popular with students having opportunities available in the private sector but also within the region’s school districts. Ranjani Venkataraman, from Jacobs High School, an intern for Fox Valley Internet, worked in individual and business marketing while also making progress in gaining industry recognized certifications.  He described what he saw and what goals he is working toward. “I went to a data center that looked like it came out of a spy movie. I also did some cybersecurity training and am almost at an NSE certification.”

Twenty-five students from Bartlett, Central, Elgin, Jacobs, Larkin, South Elgin, and Streamwood were selected for these internships across the region with assignments varying from a 60-hour opportunity to full summer employment opportunities.  Four students had the exciting opportunity to work all summer at four different Wintrust bank locations. Another student gained experience at KCT Credit Union. Sharlene Manuel Cano from Streamwood High School reflected on her experience sharing that the experience at KCT “helped me learn so much about the different positions and responsibilities that exist in managing a financial institution.” From banquet preparation to culinary presentations, students also had the opportunity for experience in event planning as a full summer experience working with Bartlett Hills Golf Clubs & Banquets learning about kitchen productivity in a fast-paced environment. 

Across all twenty-five internships, students clearly experienced the importance of being on-time and ready to work with customer service as one of their highest priorities. Alignment is most appreciative to the array of business and community partners that made these experiences possible for students as they work to shape their future career plans:

Bartlett Hills Golf Club & Banquets
Bob Loquercio Auto Group
Boys and Girls Club
Central School District 301
Centro De Informacion
Downtown Neighborhood Association
Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce
Fox Valley Internet
Golden Corridor YMCA
KCT Credit Union
Office of Representative Anna Moeller
School District U-46
Village of Bartlett
Village of Hanover Park
Wintrust

Bartlett Hills Golf Club & Banquets
Boys & Girls Club
Centro de Informacion
Downtown Neighborhood Association
Elgin Area Chamber
Fox Valley Internet
KCT Credit Union
State Representative, Anna C. Moeller
Wintrust
Alignment

Filed Under: Alignment, Internships

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Recent Posts

  • First Responder Internship Expands
  • Lakeview Precision Manufacturing Hosts Student Interns
  • City of Elgin First Responder Pilot Program Draws Ten Interns
  • Thank you to the Seigle Foundation
  • Nancy Coleman Awarded YWCA Leadership Award in Education

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Alignment Collaborative for Education - ACE

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