Community Awareness

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.”

Alignment and Business Partners Serve Over 10,000 Students

May 29, 2024

Alignment's End-of-School-Year Highlights 2024

Alignment concludes the 2023-2024 school year serving over 10,000 students from School Districts 300, 301, and U-46. Partners from across the region have come together to support preparing students to graduate academic and career ready. We salute our school administrators, teachers, students, and business partners for a job well done!

Highlights include:

Alignment designs First Responder Pilot Internship Program partnering with the Bartlett Police Department, Hanover Park Fire Department, and Hanover Township Emergency Services. 
District 300 students complete Advocate Sherman and the Well Child Center Medical Rotation Pilot Internship Program.
Bartlett, Elgin, South Elgin and Streamwood high schools receive Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) Foundation high school recognition certification. 
Fifty-two (52) organizations recruited at the annual Senior CTE Job Fair attracting 549 students.
Edgar Montes graduates with the Elgin Leadership Academy Class of 2024. 
Summer Internship Program attracts over 300 student applications from School Districts 300, 301 and U-46. 
Alignment joins Larkin CTE teachers to congratulate graduates and parents recognizing them for their CTE program completion. 
Alignment and Northern Kane County Region 110 judge the Bartlett STEM Showcase admiring the students’ creativity and technical expertise.

Advocate Sherman and Well Child Center Medical Rotation Pilot Internship Program

Nine regional high schools to participate in CTE Senior Job Fair on April 18

April 11, 2024

More than 800 students expected from Districts U-46, 300 and 301

Nine high schools from School Districts U-46, 300, and 301 will participate in the upcoming CTE Senior Job Fair on April 18, 2024, at Elgin Community College (ECC). Hosted by the Alignment Collaborative for Education and Northern Kane County Region 110, an expected 800 students will visit with more than 50 employers representing the automotive, business, culinary, education, engineering, healthcare, manufacturing, information technology, and welding industry clusters.

Students will also have the opportunity to meet with ECC’s Admissions, Financial Aid, and Student Support representatives as some plan to graduate in May and transition to ECC by August choosing both to work and go to school simultaneously.

This event in its fourth year gives students the opportunity to graduate with industry credentials earned in the high schools’ career and technical education (CTE) programs to immediately transition to the local workforce gainfully employed. “These students have a career plan upon graduation deployable to some of the best companies in the region offering upward mobility as experience grows.” shares Nancy Coleman, Alignment’s executive director.

Thank you to the following sponsors and exhibitors for making this event possible. We look forward to hearing that these students go to work in the greater Elgin area and the region.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

AED Foundation
Advocate Sherman Hospital
AT&T
City of Elgin
Elgin Community College
Elgin Sweeper

Elgin Township
Exelon
First Mid Bank & Trust
Grand Victoria Foundation
Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc.
Hoffer Foundation
KCT Credit Union

David and Sandy Kaptain
Lauderdale Electric
Nicor Gas
Seigle Foundation
United Way Metro Chicago
Wolko Design Group

Thank You Exhibitors

Advocate Sherman Hospital
Altorfer CAT
Aperion Care Fox River
Ascension Saint Joseph Hospital
A-TEC Ambulance
Avantara
Bartlett Park District
Black Diamond Plumbing & Mechanical
Bob Loquercio Auto Group
Boys and Girls Club of Elgin
Bria of Geneva
Business and Career Services Inc.
D300 Human Resources
D301 Human Resources
ECC Culinary Department
ECC Apprenticeship Program
ECC Ophthalmic Technician Program
ECC Welding

ECC WIOA program
Elgin Sweeper
Fox Valley Internet
Golden Corridor Family YMCA
High Point Dentistry
High Voltage Electric
Highland Oaks of Elgin
Hoffer Plastics
John B. Sanfilippo & Son (Fisher Nuts)
Judson University
KCT Credit Union
LifeLine Ambulance
Lincoln College of Technology
Luna Cakes
Manpower
MAPEI
Nicor Gas
NIU – PLEDGE Program

NIU – School of Family and Consumer Sciences
Northwest Special Recreation Association (NWSRA)
Official Finders
Potbelly
Rosati’s/Rosati’s University
Standard Equipment
State Farm
Streamwood Park District
U-46 Human Resources
U-46 Plant Operations
U-46 Transportation
UTI
Village of South Elgin
Well Child Center
West Side Tractor Sales
Wintrust Bank

Salute to our Region’s CTE Teachers at School Districts 300, 301, and U-46!

February 14, 2024

February is CTE Month!

The month of February is dedicated to recognizing the contributions that career and technical education (CTE) programs have contributed to preparing the nation’s future workforce. Thank you to our CTE teachers and Northern Kane County Region 110 for their commitment to graduate students academic and career ready providing students the opportunity to exit high school with industry recognized credentials ready for the workplace.

These exceptional teachers bring their industry experience and knowledge to the classroom preparing our region’s future workforce. Their work is valued and greatly appreciated.

CTE Program Offerings Across the Region

Accounting
Agriculture
Apparel and Textile
Automotive
Business
Cabinet Making
Culinary Arts

Drafting and Design
Education
Engineering
Entrepreneurship
Family and Consumer Sciences
Healthcare/Nursing Assistant

Information Technology
Marketing
Media and Digital Arts
Precision Manufacturing
Veterinary Assistant
Welding

Alignment’s January Highlights

January 31, 2024

Resume Workshops

Over 1,400 students complete resume workshops in preparation for Summer Internships and the Senior Job Fair on April 18.

Healthcare Rotational Internship

District 300 students interested in healthcare careers began on January 22 a pilot rotational internship program hosted by Advocate Sherman and Well Child Center.

Teacher Pipeline Education Day

Students from seven District 300 and U-46 high schools attended the region’s Education Day on January 24 facilitated by Alignment’s Teacher Pipeline A-Team and hosted by ECC.

Annual Counselor Day Hosted by Nicor

Fifty U-46 counselors and administrators visited Nicor on January 26 to study the region’s apprenticeship programs to include corporate, college, federal, and local union opportunities.

Alignment Visits the Leadership Academy Class of 2024

January 12, 2024

Alignment was invited to the Elgin Area Leadership Academy Class of 2024 joined by the leadership of ECC, EMSA, Judson, and U-46. The January Saturday morning session provided a great time to discuss education, future workforce development, and the continued advancement of the greater Elgin community. The Leadership Academy mentored and coordinated by Dan Fox, Ruth Munson, and Anthony Ramos has graduated over 15 classes contributing to Elgin having a solid leadership base networked across business and community organizations.

Edgar Montes, Alignment’s community program manager, is a member of the Class of 2024. Edgar describes his experience: “My experience has been amazing during my time in the academy. Being raised in Elgin, I’m amazed at just how much is out there for me to learn about my community. Learning from different leaders in Elgin gives me a sense of happiness knowing that I share similar backgrounds as them.”