Growing up in Pilsen, Alan Rodriguez saw his parents working hard in the hospitality industry. His mother and father were employed at a chain restaurant, enduring long hours, inadequate pay, various complicated characters, and even fear. College wasn’t a financial option for Alan, but that didn’t stop him from wanting a career. Right after high school, Alan started working at McCormick Place, where his father had his second job, setting up meeting rooms and cleaning the building. A manager later offered Alan a better-paid position as a porter. “I loved the energy.” Alan saw that a hospitality job could be good and quickly realized he wanted to be in the kitchen.

Even though he enjoyed the new position, Alan had not given up on his dream of a career and started looking into apprenticeship programs. Fortunately, Alan was involved with his union, UNITE HERE Local 1, and learned about the opportunity to apply for a spot in the second cohort of UHCHI’s Culinary Apprenticeship. Alan was thrilled when he learned that UHCHI did not require a U.S. birth certificate and looked forward to the career opportunity before him. “I was excited to learn about the correct terms in the kitchen, nutrition, and the right temperatures for food.”

He smiled, “I was excited because I was going to learn how to play with fire.” Alan’s excitement also came with some apprehension. He felt nervous because it seemed like the other applicants and his future coworkers had years of experience in the kitchen when he had none. But Alan found a supportive community at UHCHI. “My fellow apprentices gave me a lot of support since they had previous culinary experience. They would tell me or show me when I didn’t understand,” said Alan. “Chef Victor felt like my mentor. Any question, he was always there. He would check on me and make sure I did stuff right. He put a lot of time and energy into me. I always had that support.”

UHCHI built Alan’s confidence and career trajectory. Alan was placed with Compass Levy at the United Center for on-the-job training. After just two years, he helps prepare food for both Bulls and Blackhawks players and is slated to become a Cook I next season. He feels proud of being a graduate of the Apprenticeship program and confident in the skills he learned at UHCHI. His coworkers at the United Center recognize his expertise, “People come up to me for help. I’m fortunate enough to have an answer when they ask me questions. It makes me feel confident.” As a graduate of UHCHI’s Culinary Apprenticeship, Alan is now one of the first Culinary Journeyworkers in Illinois and holds five certifications. When reflecting on how UHCHI impacted his future, Alain said, “Where I grew up, sometimes the environment didn’t promote following your dreams. Sometimes young people don’t understand what’s possible until their late 20s. With UHCHI, you realize you could turn this into a career. You have places to go from here. It’s a great opportunity because it will open doors and maybe some folks’ eyes. Added Alan, “UHCHI prepared me well. There’s always something to learn in the kitchen. No matter how much you know, you still learn something.

Jenny Heather (Regional Human Resource Manager at Caterpillar), an East Central Illinois Workforce Board member, worked with Parkland College to design and launch a first-of-its-kind Warehouse Associate Registered Apprenticeship Program! Warehouse workers attended classes offsite at Parkland College. They completed four courses: Career and Technical Ethics, Supply Chain Management, Warehouse Operations, and Introduction to Business. The first cohort graduated in March 2023. Over 200 Caterpillar employees were in attendance to celebrate, along with representatives from Parkland College, East Central Illinois workNet, Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, and Apprenticeship Illinois. The work done in Champaign, Illinois, helped to impact a global company!

Illinois Eastern Community Colleges and Clay County Hospital are partnering to create the first U.S. Department of Labor-Registered Nursing Apprenticeship in Illinois designed to take students from a high school diploma to an associate in nursing degree. Plans to create the apprenticeship began in December 2022 as Clay County Hospital reached out to the IECC Nursing Program to increase student opportunities to transition into nursing. The IECC Board of Trustees finalized the agreement.

IECC Associate Dean of Allied Health Alani Frederick said, “The nursing apprenticeship program is a very innovative next step in nursing education in Illinois. What will benefit our students is that they will receive a quality education at Illinois Eastern Community Colleges and be immersed in the world of healthcare through the apprenticeship hours they will have at Clay County Hospital. This will help those students be ready to transition successfully to a career in nursing at the end of the apprenticeship.”

Entry into the apprenticeship is a two-step process. First, students must be accepted into the IECC Nursing Program at Frontier Community College, Lincoln Trail College, Olney Central College, or Wabash Valley College. Then, they must apply to Clay County Hospital. Clay County Hospital Clinical Educator and Registered Nurse Kamy Vail said the partnership is a win-win for the hospital and students looking to enter nursing.

“We all know we’re in a nursing shortage, especially after COVID-19, so we have to get new, innovative ways to bring in nurses to the hospital,” Vail explained. “The nursing apprenticeship program will be able to support students financially throughout their educational journey. In exchange for meeting the apprenticeship requirements, Clay County Hospital is prepared to pay for items such as tuition, fees, books, and uniforms in addition to the hourly wage the student will earn as part of the apprenticeship program. When they graduate from the nursing program and pass their NCLEX, they will be licensed as a registered nurse in the state of Illinois and will come out with a full-time job at Clay County Hospital, with wonderful benefits and full-time hours.” During the apprenticeship, students must work only one 12-hour shift a week. “It’s a minimal work requirement so that they can focus on their schooling and to make sure they succeed in the nursing program,” Vail added. Frederick hopes the financial incentives tied to the apprenticeship will enable more students to pursue a nursing degree. “We are hoping when finances are not in the picture, they will apply since that piece will be taken care of,” she said. OCC Interim President Roger Eddy said the apprenticeship exemplifies the continued cooperation between IECC and the community. “I want to congratulate Alani Fredrick and the administration at Clay County Hospital for coming up with a creative way to solve a critical issue,” he said. “It shows that we have partners that work with us in our area hospitals who look for innovative ways to solve a critical nursing shortage in our area.”

For more information on applying to the IECC Nursing Program, contact Advisor Linda Horn at 618-395-7777, ext. 2246, or email hornl@iecc.edu. Apprenticeship applications will be available on the Clay County Hospital website at www.claycountyhospital.org. Watch the Nursing Apprenticeship video.