Career and Technical Education (CTE) Youth Apprenticeship Program

 

This course is available to seniors at Addison Trail and Willowbrook. Through this class, students can earn school credit and receive on-the-job training, all while getting paid. Students interested in the CTE Youth Apprenticeship Program should speak with their counselor and request to register for course IT65093CTDB. For questions or more information, contact Willowbrook CTE Department Head Mary Barney at mbarney@dupage88.net or 630-782-2823.

Through a collaboration with GPS Education Partners and College of DuPage (COD), seniors in this course meet with Barney to receive credit, training and certification in OSHA 10, along with résumé, interview and soft skills preparation for an apprenticeship placement in Addison. Apprentices interview at a local company and, once hired, earn an average of $15 an hour. Participants are able to gain experience in:

- Manufacturing: General manufacturing, industrial maintenance, CNC, machining, electro-mechanical

- Information technology: Software/app/game design, network and security, database management, data science

With the CTE Youth Apprenticeship Program, students also can obtain consumer education credit and may substitute the third-year science requirement and/or the physical education requirement.

Students in this course also can qualify for free college credit and paid job training through COD’s Project Hire-Ed Apprenticeship Program (see information about Project Hire-Ed below).

CTE Youth Apprenticeship Program flyer 1

CTE Youth Apprenticeship Program flyer 2

Project Hire-Ed launched in 2018 with the intent to build a bridge between workforce needs and education to help employers find the right talent for their organizations and to teach students the skills employers are seeking.

Project Hire-Ed is a four-year program – two years to complete the coursework and two more years working with the employer. It is open to individuals 18 years old and older who are current College of DuPage (COD) students, career changers, veterans, unemployed, under-employed, recent high school or GED graduates or current high school students. There’s even an opportunity for high school students to earn dual-credit through the program. High-schoolers can take the seminar class, as well as two technical courses, to get started before they graduate (but they must meet reading, writing and math requirements).

Apprenticeship programs provide hands-on training to an employee while gaining necessary competency. They offer skills in a particular occupation, help connect to a career pathway, and combine on-the-job training with appropriate instruction. It is commonly referred to as an “Earn and Learn” model. The program is currently part of the following industries: Manufacturing and applied technology, horticulture and information technology (the program connects students to career opportunities in those fields). The initial seminar course is $138. Students then interview with local employers.  If a student receives an offer from an employer, they will be paid as they learn.

For more information, go to https://www.cod.edu/project-hire-ed.

Article about Project Hire-Ed