Kane County jobs panel reviews pre-apprenticeship pilot, new IMEC internship and job-kiosk rollout

Kane County’s Jobs Committee spent its March 13 meeting focused on workforce pipeline measures intended to channel residents into construction and manufacturing careers, including a local pre-apprenticeship pilot, a new IMEC-supported internship program for manufacturers and an update on public job kiosks.

Steve Lafavor, director of apprenticeship for the North Central Illinois Finishing Trades Institute, described a locally run, nine-week paid pre-apprenticeship in Aurora offered in partnership with Hire360 and the Fox Valley Building Trades. "It's going to be a 9 week program. It's paid. There's a stipend involved," Lafavor said, adding the program provides safety certifications, blueprint-reading instruction and tours that introduce participants to registered apprenticeship opportunities in Kane, Kendall and DeKalb counties.

The county discussed the state-level Illinois Works initiative that Lafavor said has three parts: expanded pre-apprenticeship investments, a requirement that a portion of hours on state capital projects be performed by registered apprentices, and a contractor credit system to encourage compliance. "Now half of that 10% needs to be performed by a registered apprentice that graduated [an Illinois Works pre-apprenticeship]," Lafavor said.

Committee members pressed for completion data. Jennifer Abadakola asked about matriculation versus graduation rates; Lafavor described a rule-of-thumb completion rate: "50 percent that enter the program will complete the program," noting many who wash out do so within the first three to six months.

The session also turned to manufacturing internships. Crystal (identified in the meeting materials as a staff presenter) outlined an IMEC "next gen maker's internship" program targeted at manufacturers with 250 or fewer employees. "These companies may be eligible to up to $8,000 of paid intern wages with a maximum of 2 interns per company," Crystal said, and noted IMEC provides templates and implementation guidance to reduce the employer burden of running structured internships.

Committee members raised employer concerns such as proprietary work and the costs of mentoring interns; workforce staff pointed to existing supports. A workforce office representative explained that WIOA-funded on-the-job training, bonding programs and tax incentives can offset employer costs for training and wages.

Adam, from the county workforce office, introduced Marsha Paske as the new industry partnerships manager and gave a broader workforce update: there are 546 registered apprenticeships progressing in Kane County, about half in the 25–54 age range and a small share (about 5%) in manufacturing. He also reported on a job-kiosk initiative: "Right now, all 15 kiosks have been placed and installed," Adam said, and between them the county has recorded 1,112 kiosk sessions that have driven traffic to the WorkNet Batavia and other state job sites.

Brian Dahl, who identified himself as with Painter's District Council 30 and president of the Fox Valley Building Trades, endorsed pre-apprenticeships as a way to reduce washout and raise success rates for apprentices who progress into union programs: "Those that go through their pre apprenticeships... are most likely to succeed in an apprenticeship program and less likely to washout," he said.

The committee also heard that the Kane County Economic Development Corporation ran an ad in Site Selection magazine and plans to announce a new CEO next week. The meeting concluded with a unanimous consent motion to place reports on file and a motion to adjourn.

The jobs committee indicated it will reschedule the absent Quad County Urban League presenter and continue follow-up on kiosk hire-tracking and apprenticeship expansion efforts.