On March 18, a special joint session of our I-WIN and STAMP networks showcased two Illinois communities that support high school students (including student interns under age 18) to participate in career development experiences, including internships and apprenticeships in manufacturing.
- Steve Stewart, Director of People and Culture at Morton Industries, shared how they engage high school students in departmental rotations, moving from working in support departments like sales and accounting to on-the-floor experiences in welding and laser cutting. Morton Industries also hosts 25–30 high school students per year as part of their SkillsUSA apprenticeship program, in addition to their college interns.
- The McHenry County Manufacturing Pathways Consortium shared about its rotational student internships model, plus engagements with high schools and community colleges to provide work-based learning experiences across the continuum and support for students to make informed decisions about their postsecondary pathways, including connecting them to apprenticeship opportunities.
We also shared new employer-facing one-pager resources developed through a collaboration between the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and EdSystems. These one-pager resources include exemplar employer models and resources gathered by an advisory committee of school district representatives and manufacturing industry professionals.
