Education Systems Center at NIU

Join us on April 22, 12 pm for a peer-to-peer discussion on the challenges, successes, and best practices in school districts offering internship opportunities to high school students within their departments: https://lnkd.in/gjc7FhhS

GPEAK, an essential employability skills training initiative, continues to deepen its roots in the Peoria region while also expanding across the state. We're proud to partner with Illinois Central College to support the program's development! Learn more about GPEAK: https://gpeak.org/

How do we ensure education systems align with employment opportunities to ensure young people are truly on pathways to economic mobility? The Illinois team is at the Accelerate ED convening in Denver this week to learn from other states and thought partner on how to improve our own systems. Our thanks to the Gates Foundation for this opportunity! #AccelerateEd

Secondary leaders: If you're not yet implementing or scaling transitional instruction, don't miss this session!

Excited to share our collaboration with Southwestern Illinois College to expand high-quality college and career pathways in healthcare and manufacturing! We’re working together to ensure students—especially those from historically marginalized backgrounds—are prepared for regionally in-demand, living-wage careers. This work builds on statewide efforts to strengthen student transitions and workforce connections: https://lnkd.in/gQS7ThRf We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with SWIC and its partner school districts to shape a regional approach that can serve as a model for others. #CollegeAndCareerPathways #WorkBasedLearning #EquityInEducation

Check out these innovative ways school districts are engaging their own automotive, marketing, and IT departments to provide paid internships for students: https://lnkd.in/gXUqJvn8 Our thanks to Naperville Community Unit School District 203 and Cherry Creek School District for sharing your learnings!

As we design education and workforce policies and programs, we must account for evolving workforce and workplace conditions, including technological shifts and their impact on careers. The fourth pillar in our policy agenda, Future Readiness, seeks to promote the use of emerging technologies to enhance learner access to and success in college and careers while ensuring all Illinois learners are equipped with essential and technical employability skills.?Learn more and download the full agenda: https://lnkd.in/gD8cfrnr

Hope to see you next week!

Through our partnership with the Illinois Manufacturers' Association to support manufacturing pathways, we asked school leaders across the state how they are recruiting students, particularly those who are typically furthest from access. In a new article by Innovation Manager Dania Ibrahim, we share the key strategies that are working, barriers that still exist, and resources that could help schools create even more inclusive and accessible opportunities: https://lnkd.in/gcgk8Pn4 Our thanks to The Chicago Community Trust and Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for their support of our Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (STAMP) initiative.

We are learning so much from all of todays presenters, but we are particularly grateful to learn from these students today as they challenged us to continue improving college and career readiness and transition experiences for all students, particularly those furthest from opportunity.