On May 11^th and May 12^th, 2022 Rend Lake College, located in Ina, IL, and Kaskaskia College, located in Centralia, IL, partnered in hosting an In-Person Apprenticeship Open House for the Industry Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (ICATT) at their respective campuses. ICATT works in tandem with the Mount Vernon, IL Continental Tire Plant to provide Continental Tire with exceptional candidates for the apprenticeship program hosted through RLC and Kaskaskia. This relationship between ICATT, Continental Tire, and the area community colleges is mutually beneficial for all parties involved, and the event provided local residents the opportunity to learn more about the program, how it relates to the community college, and to even apply for jobs with Continental Tire on the spot.

The event featured guests from both ICATT and Continental Tire. The individual from ICATT informed attendees about the application process for both ICATT and Continental Tire while employees from Continental Tire were able to display one of their robots that is utilized on their production lines. This was an example of one of the types of machinery that students graduating with an Associate’s Degree in Industrial Electronics and Maintenance can expect to work on once they are in their field of work.

Continental Tire is a German based company who is not unfamiliar with the Apprenticeship Model. It is common practice in Germany for there to be an Apprenticeship Program built into their education system that combines hands-on training with the learning practices that come from traditional education. By embracing this model in the United States, Continental Tire and ICATT are giving individuals from our area a great employment opportunity while they continue their education. This opens the door to future opportunities that apprenticeship students will feel confident in pursuing.