The Waukegan Public School District 60 partnered with Blooboard as a sponsor to help their incumbent Para-professional staff enter into apprenticeships to complete their teacher certification. This program allows apprentices to work in the classroom and attend an online course for a bachelor's degree pathway to teacher certification. The apprentices do not have the traditional college experience. Rather than study texts and lectures and submit lesson plans that were never put into practice, the Para-professionals submit the materials they use in class for credit. The flexibility of the related training in this format fosters more on-the-job learning and puts the training into practice in the classroom. This is the first cohort in Waukegan, and all partners support continuing efforts to help the teacher shortage. LWIA 1 utilized Incumbent Worker Training funds to help offset the cost of training.

As President of the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce, we were seeking to fill a new administrative position within our organization. I reached out to contacts at the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership for assistance in creating and filling this full-time role. At the same time, OAI, Inc. was collaborating with the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, Employer and Employment Services (EES), and Governor’s State University School of Extended Learning (GSU-SXL) on marketing strategies for their newly approved Office Services Specialist (OSS) Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP).

Since the full-time administrative position, we were looking to create was intended to play a key role in connecting our membership with the talent pipeline in the Southland region, particularly through apprenticeship programs, I was invited to participate in their scheduled meetings. It didn’t take long for the position to evolve from a general administrative role to that of the Apprenticeship Ambassador. This new position would serve as a liaison between our Business Growth Committee, Workforce Development Committee, and regional business owners.

Given that it was a new position, we had to ensure it met the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) criteria for a new hire in the OSS RAP. The guidance and direction I received from EES, one of our key partners, were invaluable. It was exciting to become the first employer to sign the OSS RAP employer agreement, even as we were finalizing the hiring of the Apprenticeship Ambassador.

We successfully hired Rene Velazquez, who became one of the 11 OSS RAP apprentices. His on-the-job mentor was Kim Marisa Kunce and myself. It quickly became clear that the Related Training Instruction (RTI) had relevant applications, as Rene consistently demonstrated strong administrative skills throughout the 16 weeks of training. His initiative and energy were evident, and he quickly became a key asset to our team.

OAI’s Apprenticeship Program proved to be a “win-win” for both the Chamber of Commerce and Rene, our Apprenticeship Ambassador. His success was not only a win for him but also for our business. We had filled a crucial role in a way that helped us grow as a team. As OAI, Inc. continues their sponsorship of future apprenticeship programs, Rene will play a key role in connecting Southland employers with RAP opportunities.

As I reflect on the OSS RAP, I am proud that the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce played an integral role in the development and success of OAI’s pilot apprenticeship program.

When done right, apprenticeships are a win-win for both employers and apprentices. They’re not just about filling a role—they’re about fostering growth, opportunity, and shaping the future of the workforce.

Terri L. Winfree Ph.D., President,
Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce

Below are 2 short interviews about the Office Services Specialist Apprenticeship from a recent video:

Hi, my name is Nikki Smith. I am the HR Manager at Gotion Illinois New Energy. We are an electric vehicle battery manufacturer. We also manufacture energy storage systems.

Why join the Apprenticeship Program?

To have this opportunity in manufacturing was really neat.  I’m in Human Resources, but we also have an Administration Department specifically so we have administrative specialists. So, we’re just starting up in our plant. We have I think 85 employees as of yesterday so we will have future Administrative Specialists needs so this is great that we have hourly employees that can learn these skills to fill our openings in the future.

Would you recommend to other employers?

Yes, I would definitely recommend this. It’s a great opportunity for them to be able to take classes, especially having Governors State involved and then I didn’t know even before they signed up that they will be able to take the certification exam at the end which that is huge. I’m taking the HR certification exam myself so for them to get to do this, this I thought that was amazing. Like this is an extra bonus for them. I’ve never heard of another apprenticeship offering this so I was shocked and amazed, happily  amazed that they get to do that.

 

Susanna Vargas, Apprentice

My name is Susanna Vargas. I work for Gotion and I work on the Quality Technician team.

Would you recommend to coworkers?

It would help them learn more communication skills with the coworkers and better understand each other.

Watch the video here.

Alex Gorski is nearing his six-month anniversary at Reliable Fire and Security and has made significant progress in his apprenticeship program. He recently completed OSHA 10 training and is set to begin NICET 1 in Fire in the coming weeks. Alex has been effectively learning his role in the Sprinkler Apprentice Program and has successfully conducted fire pump tests alongside his journeyman.