|
 Printer-Friendly Version
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-7317
Vice President Al Gore, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman, and
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley announced today that the state of
Illinois will receive $9,125,000 in federal School-to-Work funds. The
competitive grant was awarded after Illinois demonstrated its ability to design
and implement a comprehensive, statewide School-to-Work system.
"Illinois and the entire nation are entering a new economy where what
you earn depends increasingly on what you learn," said Vice President Gore.
"This initiative will help give Illinois' young people the tools and skills
they need to lead our workforce into the 21st century."
"These funds will enable young people to have the tools necessary to
ensure their success in the 21st century workforce," said Secretary Herman. "We
are working hard to ensure that every future and present American worker has
access to lifelong learning and the development of job skills."
"The School-to-Work experience gives students a mixture of classroom
learning and work study exposure in real jobs," said Secretary Riley. "It can
give students more options for their future, such as college, technical
training and skilled entry-level work. Above all, it provides young people the
tools to succeed in today's highly competitive job market."
Today's announcement brings the total number of School-to-Work state
implementation grants to 39. The $9.1 million award is the first installment of
a four-year funding commitment made to the state through the National
School-to-Work Opportunities Act --a Clinton Administration initiative passed
with strong bipartisan support in 1994. The National School-to-Work Office,
which provides leadership and assistance to grantees, is jointly administered
by the Departments of Education and Labor.
School-to-Work encourages local partnerships including schools, parents,
employers, organized labor and the community that link the classroom with the
real world of work. These partnerships offer students opportunities for
internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, and other forms of career
exploration. Employers and educators involved in School-to-Work partnerships
are encouraged to work together to provide students with work-based learning
opportunities and adult mentors, as well as strong mastery of academic skills,
that will help students succeed in college and in the workplace.
Illinois' implementation grant will link these local partnerships in
communities throughout the state into one comprehensive system.
The state first began designing and developing a School-to-Work system
in 1994. Between that time at today's award of a School-to-Work state
implementation grant, Illinois has received a total of $2,044,442 in
School-to-Work state development grants.
Attached is a one-page description of Illinois' School-to-Work plan.
# # #
llinois State School-to-Work Implementation Grant
Awardee: Education to Careers
Contact: Christopher
Koch, Illinois State Board of Education, (312) 814-3226
Amount
Awarded: $9,125,000
Education to Careers (ETC) is Illinois' comprehensive School-to-Work
transition system comprising 39 local partnerships, all of which have strong
relationships with community colleges.
As part of the state's larger workforce development effort, linking
education reform, employment and training and welfare-to-work, ETC will be
administered by the state's Board of Education under the direction of the
Illinois Human Resource Investment Council. The Governor's Assistant for
Workforce Development will coordinate the statewide implementation plan.
Efforts to weave School-to-Work into the missions of all of the state's
relevant departments and agencies have produced some innovative features. For
example, the Illinois State Plan for Education features key School-to-Work
components, and includes plans to develop and implement a comprehensive career
guidance system. All of the state's 45 regional offices of education directly
responsible for school improvement have included ETC in their reform efforts.
School-to-Work components are being incorporated into teacher training and
career development. The state is expanding worksite learning opportunities for
all teachers. And through the Illinois Cooperative Work Study Act, higher
education students involved in cooperative study programs are offered financial
assistance, provided the work experience relates to the student's academic
program.
Illinois has also created new avenues for private sector participation
in School-to-Work efforts. Each of the 39 local partnerships is co-chaired by a
representative from the private sector. Employers have been asked to help
identify and develop statewide skill standards for both academic and technical
learning. There is also a proposal in the works that would link those standards
to college admissions and require work-based learning for associate of science
degrees.
As part of its efforts to expand the 39 local partnerships into an even
more comprehensive School-to-Work system, the state is offering competitive
grants in areas such as technical assistance. It has also assigned regional
economists to each of the partnerships to provide them with specific local
labor market information.
ETC has the strong support of the Governor's Office, the State Board of
Education, the Community College Board, the Department of Employment Security,
the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the AFL-CIO, and employers
(including Caterpillar, PMA Financial Network Inc., Rico Enterprises).
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
| 
