District 88 students gain work-based learning experience through Heritage Spanish Career Fluency Program with SWD Inc.

Students in District 88’s 2025-26 Heritage Spanish Career Fluency Program continue their rotations with various business partners. This course helps students develop their skills in professional settings and introduces them to a variety of career paths, while enhancing their biliteracy.

This is accomplished through a job-shadow component, where participants visit worksites once a week during second semester of the school year. The goal is to encourage pupils to use their Spanish as much as possible, so they can learn about different fields and how to use their Spanish professionally to give them a competitive edge. 

One of those local companies is SWD Inc. As a valued business partner, Luis Palacios and the team at SWD Inc. provided students with an opportunity to gain firsthand exposure to the manufacturing industry, while using their bilingual skills in a real-world setting. Participants learned about the metal plating process used to prevent oxidation, deepening their understanding of the technical aspects of the field and the importance of precision in manufacturing.

The Heritage Spanish Career Fluency Program highlights how community partnerships help students connect classroom learning to real-world career opportunities and see themselves thriving in professional spaces. District 88 is always looking to develop more partnerships, and those who are interested can find information at www.dupage88.net/BusinessPartnerships.