On Saturday, May 13th, Rend Lake College held its Commencement Ceremony for the graduating class of 2023. Among the graduates were three individuals who went through the Rend Lake College Apprenticeship Program. Kyle Garrison of Mt Vernon, Zack Leschke of West Frankfort, and John Simpkins (pictured) of Hurst, IL, all received an Associates of Applied Science in Industrial Electronics and Maintenance. This degree sets them up to be an immediate asset to their employers and opens the door to further education if they choose to continue earning a Bachelor’s degree.

Leschke and Simpkins were both Apprentices at Continental Tire in Mt. Vernon, IL, whereas Garrison was an Apprentice at North American Lighting in Salem, IL. The two companies believe there is great value in establishing an Apprenticeship Program to fuel their talent pipeline needs. They continue to partner with Rend Lake College today to bring the apprenticeship opportunity to more individuals throughout southern Illinois.

Jaylne and Jada Perry are twin sisters whose been enrolled in the YWCA’s Workforce Program, CompTIA A+, since July 2022. Before enrolling in the program, Jaylne and Jada attended Harold Washington for Computer Science and were already studying the field when they came across YWCA’s CompTIA+ program. Jaylne and Jada understood that CompTIA A+ is the starting point for a career in IT and focuses on job roles like help desk technician and technical support specialist. Jaylne and Jada were prepared to take on the challenge and roles in the IT Industry.

After completing the program, both sisters were commissioned to perform a six-week WEX (Work Experience) with Net Telligence Group. While at Net Telligence, both sisters were able to take a deep dive into the IT field by working on various computers and troubleshooting various problems. They excelled at Net Telligence, and now the owner seeks to hire the dynamic duo. While Jaylne has aspirations of working for an airline, Jada is figuring out her niche in the IT field. Both sisters shared that the CompTIA ITF and A+ program was exciting and gave them the jump start they needed.