February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month® and Kishwaukee College is celebrating along with community colleges and technical colleges across the state of Illinois. Kish will host the panel-conference “Explore the Trades” from 9:00 am – 11:30 am on February 18 in the Kish Conference Center. The event is free and open to the public.
“Kishwaukee College is proud to partner with our local business and industry as we strive to provide the best trained, skilled and educated workforce to meet their needs,” stated Kish president, Dr. Laurie Borowicz. “So many local businesses have hired our graduates, knowing that they are adding an excellent employee to their team. We join other community colleges in the state and recognize our excellent programs, faculty and students during Career and Technical Education Month.”
CTE teaches people highly sought after career skills for in-demand employment opportunities. The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) reports that 62.2 percent of all graduates from an Illinois community college earned a degree or certificate in a CTE program. Kish’s CTE programs offer flexible scheduling, work-based learning and stackable credentials that provide a pathway from education to employment. According to ICCB, there are over 4,300 different CTE program throughout the community college system.
On February 18, guests can join Kish faculty and a panel of union trade members from various industries to learn how to build a successful career in the trades. Representatives from Painters & Allied Trades, Plumbers & Pipefitters, Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, Boiler Makers, Operating Engineers, Electrical Workers, Bridge & Iron Workers, Project First Rate of Rockford and the Department of Labor Apprenticeship & Training will be on campus. Guests are encouraged to park in lot A and enter through door 16 or 17. For more information on “Explore the Trades,” visit www.kish.edu/student-services/career-services/.
CTE programs at Kish include nursing and allied health programs such as basic nursing assisting, esthetics, medical assisting, registered nursing, radiologic technology and therapeutic massage. People interested in entering a trade outside of healthcare may consider studying agribusiness, automated engineering technology, automotive, criminal justice, business, computer-aided design, computer information systems, diesel power technology, electronics, horticulture, hospitality & culinary, marketing/management, office systems, or welding at Kish. These programs will equip people with the skills employers seek to get started in the industry right away.
Short-term training programs through our community education department are also a fantastic option for people looking to enter a career in fewer than 16 weeks. The training programs include dental assistant, pharmacy technician, phlebotomy technician, precision agriculture, real estate broker, sterile processing technician, truck driver training and veterinary assistant. For more information on short-term training programs, visit www.kish.edu/shortterm.
For more information about Kish’s post-secondary career and technical education programs and services, visit www.kish.edu. For information on career and technical education throughout Illinois, visit www.iccb.org/cte.