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Kane County chair proposes paid internship program to retain young adults
Summary
Chair Gums proposed creating a structured paid internship program to keep college‑age residents in Kane County after graduation. The chair suggested the county could consider using proceeds from the county’s 1% grocery tax as a potential funding stream and asked the jobs and human services committees to develop options.
Chair Gums told the Kane County Board on July 8 that the county is losing college‑age residents and proposed creating a paid internship program to connect local young adults with county departments.
The nut graf: Gums said a structured, paid internship initiative would give young residents work experience, professional networks and a pathway to careers in Kane County. She asked the jobs committee and the human services committee to develop a program design and identify funding sources, suggesting the county’s 1% grocery tax as one possible revenue stream to support paid placements.
In her remarks Gums said the county already has some informal internships across departments — at the state's attorney’s office, finance, and the auditor’s office — but described those as sporadic rather than centrally organized. She emphasized starting modestly and scaling the program as it proves effective.
Gums asked the jobs and human services committees to return to the full board with a recommended program structure and a proposed funding plan that would prioritize paid positions rather than volunteer placements.
Ending: The chair framed the proposal as an investment in the county’s economic future and asked committees to bring options back for board consideration; no formal funding decision was made at the July 8 meeting.
