Manufacturing is welcoming people with open arms, and District 214 students are benefitting. 

Innovative partnerships with local companies and District 214 schools are creating opportunities for students to earn a living wage while still in high school, and at the same time gain skills to prepare them for their futures. Local industry, in turn, benefits from a skilled workforce to support ongoing labor demands. These mutually beneficial partnerships –– the foundation of District 214’s Career Pathway program in Manufacturing –– were the focus of a recent community event that set the stage for Manufacturing Month in October.

At the State of Manufacturing 2019 event, hosted by the Greater Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce, Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning. Dr. Laz Lopez highlighted the evolution of District 214’s long-standing partnerships with local industry, tracing back more than 10 years. In 2007, companies were experiencing hardships as a result of the Great Recession, and schools were focused on standardized testing as a result of No Child Left Behind. Labs and facilities were being closed, and students who didn’t perform well on state tests found their future opportunities diminished.

What seemed like a dire situation for both schools and local industry led to an innovative solution. Lopez, then Principal at Wheeling High School, was convinced education could serve as an economic engine to support businesses in the community and create an opportunity to change course. The key, Lopez said, would be “to listen, come to the table and invest.”

District 214 staff met with Wheeling’s economic development department, manufacturers and business leaders, and together they imagined possibilities. They asked themselves, “What if we build manufacturing facilities in our schools?” From there, the first District 214 Career Pathway at Wheeling High School was born.

Through grants, partnerships and donations, a manufacturing facility was built in the school. Students in advanced manufacturing classes gained skills that allowed them to be employed and earn a living wage and a career pathway. At the same time, manufacturing companies were able to keep occupancy rates up during a challenging economic time. The pathway grew to include robust internships and opportunities for early college credit.

So where are we today? 

According to Dr. Lopez, “We have invested collectively, with companies in the community and district, millions of dollars, to create state-of-the-art facilities across our entire District with an eye to the future.” The District has dedicated 3,000 square feet of classroom and lab space for manufacturing classes to support the community – second only to athletics and music – in facilities that include Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) machining, robotics equipment, plasma cutters and other state-of-the-art equipment and software. Students can earn early college credits through advanced classes with local community colleges and gain real-world skills through site visits, apprenticeships and internships.

Based on industry demand, the District continues to update the manufacturing and engineering laboratories at each school. 

Wheeling High School’s manufacturing lab, for example, has doubled in size and includes a dedicated area for new automation and robotics cells, funded by a $150,000 donation from HydraForce in Lincolnshire. This summer, Buffalo Grove High School alumnus Stephen Yacktman and his wife, Ellyn, donated $1 million through the District 214 Education Foundation to create an enhanced manufacturing and robotics space at Buffalo Grove High School.

Most recently, the Village of Elk Grove announced an investment in Elk Grove High School’s manufacturing program. At the Made in Elk Grove Manufacturing and Technology Expo, Mayor Craig Johnson presented a check for $100,000 to Principal Paul Kelly to renovate the school’s manufacturing lab and support work-based experiences in local industry. The generous gift – made through the District 214 Education Foundation – is a testament to the important partnerships that mutually benefit the students, the schools and the communities.

District 214’s manufacturing programming continues to expand beyond offerings for high school students. Classes now serve learners ages 12 to adult. Middle-schoolers from District 214’s sender schools enjoy learning in the high schools’ manufacturing facilities in the after-school “Next Generation Engineer” program taught by D214 educators. Parents in District 214’s Community Education Adult Manufacturing Pathway gain skills and industry certificates to enhance employment opportunities.

For more information on how you can support District 214’s many Career Pathway programs, visit www.214foundation.org or call Erin Brooks, Executive Director of the Foundation, at (847) 718-7688 to discuss giving or partnership options.

For more information on the Adult Manufacturing Pathway visit https://ce.d214.org/d214adultcareerpathways or contact Julie Frost at 847-718-7876