Creation Date: 01/27/2023

Location of Service: 61938-9366

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2022, Lake Land College hosted an apprenticeship signing event on November 16, 2022, where ten apprentices signed official agreements with their employers, committing themselves to excellence and valuable career pathways. Bonnie Moore, Director of the Center for Business and Industry at Lake Land College, invited representatives from each business to the stage to join their new apprentices in signing the agreements:

• Representing Hydro-Gear, Brian Baca and Rachael Crane welcomed Derek Clark of Charleston as an Industrial Maintenance Mechanic apprentice.
• Representing KC Summers Auto Group (Mattoon, IL), Keith Summers and Ed Roley welcomed Carson Body of Mattoon as an Automotive Technician apprentice.
• Representing North American Lighting (Paris, IL), Robert Woolum welcomed students Gloria Harris of Paris and James Knight of Paris as Industrial Maintenance Mechanic apprentices.
• Representing Quad Graphics (Effingham, IL), Mark and Lucas Leffler welcomed Kevin Baize of Effingham, Adam Carter of Lerna, David Coffin of Salem, Jackson Leffler of Willow Hill, Jordan Ogden of Westervelt, and Jordan Schumacher of Sigel as Industrial Maintenance Repairer apprentices.

Lake Land College President Josh Bullock declared support for current and new apprenticeship partners in a proclamation commemorating the 85th anniversary of the National Apprenticeship Act and the eighth anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week.

"At the core of apprenticeship is the idea that the transfer of knowledge from mentor to the student can be life-changing for the individual, sustaining and successful for the industry, and altogether inspiring for the community,” Bullock said. “As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week together today, it is clear that Lake Land College is staying true to its vision of engaging minds and changing lives through the power of learning.”

As part of the celebration, Lake Land College also hosted a panel of new and long-standing apprenticeship employers, including Woolum of North American Lighting, Roley of KC Summers Auto Group, and Baca of Hydro-Gear. The panelists shared their thoughts on the evolution of apprenticeships, the benefits they provide to both participants and employers, and other concepts, such as how they decided to develop apprenticeship positions and how the positions coexist within the companies’ dynamics.

Ed Roley, Service Director of KC Summers Service, said: “The apprenticeship program allows us to be proactive in designing a program with Lake Land that will fast-track new technicians and give them the ability to hit the ground running and be productive right away in a very rewarding and well-paying career as an automotive technician with us.”

Nate Carlson, WIOA Apprenticeship Navigator at Lake Land College, said: “Apprenticeships are more than just training; an apprenticeship is an investment. It is an investment of time and hard work on the part of the apprentices themselves, who dedicate themselves to studying and honing their skills, and it is an investment on the part of the employers, who fund their apprentices’ education and provide them with the guidance they need to thrive.”

Watch Lake Land College Spotlighting Apprenticeship video.