On May 11^th and May 12^th, 2022 Rend Lake College, located in Ina, IL, and Kaskaskia College, located in Centralia, IL, partnered in hosting an In-Person Apprenticeship Open House for the Industry Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (ICATT) at their respective campuses. ICATT works in tandem with the Mount Vernon, IL Continental Tire Plant to provide Continental Tire with exceptional candidates for the apprenticeship program hosted through RLC and Kaskaskia. This relationship between ICATT, Continental Tire, and the area community colleges is mutually beneficial for all parties involved, and the event provided local residents the opportunity to learn more about the program, how it relates to the community college, and to even apply for jobs with Continental Tire on the spot.

The event featured guests from both ICATT and Continental Tire. The individual from ICATT informed attendees about the application process for both ICATT and Continental Tire while employees from Continental Tire were able to display one of their robots that is utilized on their production lines. This was an example of one of the types of machinery that students graduating with an Associate’s Degree in Industrial Electronics and Maintenance can expect to work on once they are in their field of work.

Continental Tire is a German based company who is not unfamiliar with the Apprenticeship Model. It is common practice in Germany for there to be an Apprenticeship Program built into their education system that combines hands-on training with the learning practices that come from traditional education. By embracing this model in the United States, Continental Tire and ICATT are giving individuals from our area a great employment opportunity while they continue their education. This opens the door to future opportunities that apprenticeship students will feel confident in pursuing.

After over 30 years in the beauty industry, my life came to a crossroads when I decided to change careers. Working in a salon for ten years encouraged me to get my teaching license in cosmetology. A fantastic opportunity to teach for Paul Mitchell Schools came along, and I found it rewarding. While working on my career path at Paul Mitchell, I achieved the role of Education Leader, which was a management position. But, when I lost my passion and love for the beauty industry, I was not sure what I wanted to do next. I needed to find a job, but I was lacking the college degree needed to apply for the jobs in which I was interested. After a year without any luck finding a job, I decided to go back to college and finish my education.

My journey or let’s just say second act was to go back to school at forty-nine years old. I was not sure how I going to afford college, but when I was doing research at the KCC website I came across the WIOA program. It was a scholarship program to help with the cost of your education for people who may have struggled financially, and an opportunity to get an education as well as job opportunities after graduation.

My experience with the WIOA program and KCC was amazing! I will definitely say going back to college late in life was not easy, but I learned a lot and found it rewarding. I do not have any regrets, just more knowledge and experience needed to find the right job fit for me.

I received two Associate degrees from KCC within 2½ years: Applied Science-Office Professional and Business. In addition, I received the Microsoft Office Certificate. I am currently working on my Microsoft Certification and will become a Microsoft expert within the next year.

After graduation, a recruiter for Kensing Solutions in Kankakee found me on LinkedIn, and it led to a job offer for the role of Administrative Logistic Specialist. I want to thank all the professors who taught me over the last two years as well as my family and friends who supported me in my new journey for my second half of my life. Sending out love and gratitude to everyone I crossed paths with.

Danville Area Community College’s (DACC) first apprenticeship was developed in Mechatronics with thyssenkrupp Presta (now ThyssenKrupp Dynamic Components) in 2015.  Samuel came to DACC and Vermilion County Works (VCW), the WIOA Title I provider, in July of 2019 as a new employee for ThyssenKrupp. The company had recently started a Registered Apprenticeship program and had approached VCW for assistance with getting the program off the ground. Samuel started classes at DACC toward his Mechatronics certificate while working at TK at the same time to acquire hands-on skills. VCW was able to provide assistance in paying for his tuition, fees and books for his classroom portion of training. Additionally, VCW provided Samuel with a complete set of mechanics’ tools for worksite training. Samuel successfully completed his Mechatronics certificate in July of 2020, and was able to complete his required work hours in December of 2021 to earn his Journeyman certificate of completion. Samuel continues working as a technician for TK, and his training journey is a testament to the value of registered apprenticeships in workforce training.