Explore 2025: U-46 partnership reports 243 summer internship placements and plans to grow
Loading...
Summary
Alignment Collaborative for Education and U-46 reported Explore 2025 hosted over 81 exhibitors and more than 2,300 participating middle-school students; paid internship placements rose to 243 this summer from 52 in the program's first year, and the partners aim to place over 300 students in 2026.
Alignment Collaborative for Education (ACE) and School District U-46 presented highlights from Explore 2025 and the district’s regional internship program at the Dec. 15 board meeting.
Edgar Montez, ACE internship coordinator, told the board the October Explore event included more than 81 exhibitors and engaged over 2,300 middle-school students. Presenters said the internship program is structured as 60-hour paid summer placements; this past year 55 companies offered internships and program staff received just over 1,000 applicants, producing about 850 viable resumes and 243 student placements.
Terry Stroh and other program leaders described how placements have expanded across career pathways — health care, business, engineering, manufacturing, IT and trades — and highlighted employer partners including Advocate Sherman (healthcare placements) and Athletico (a new rehab-aide internship that led to at least one post-internship part-time hire). Presenters said volunteer time from employers totaled more than 14,000 hours for the cohort.
Four interns spoke to the board about their experiences. Donde, a medical-rotation intern at Advocate Sherman, said the internship “turned a career in medicine from an outline and goal into something real.” America Martinez, who completed a first-responder internship involving police, fire and emergency-services rotations, said the experience clarified her interest in pursuing legal studies and law-enforcement work. A Bartlett student described skills gained in an Athletico rehabilitation setting and reported getting a part-time job there after the internship.
Board members praised the program’s growth and asked about constraints to scaling placements; presenters cited employer capacity, internship design and coordination workload. Speakers noted additional funding and regional support were helping expansion and said the 2026 goal is to place more than 300 students.
Why it matters
The program connects students to industry partners and can influence career choices, credential pipelines and local workforce development. Paid internships improve access for students who cannot give up summer wages for unpaid opportunities, presenters said.
What’s next
Staff will continue to recruit employers, refine internship models (including successful rotation models such as Advocate Sherman), and return individual capital or program items to the board as bids and funding are finalized.
