PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Illinois Central College leads a group of seven partners in the Employ Central Illinois Initiative.

The program allows for staff to align work-based learning experiences with school credits and three post-secondary apprenticeships, giving high-school students “real-life” work experience, before they’ve graduated.

“This is an exciting opportunity for both a rural, suburban, and urban schools districts to come together to work in a collaborative fashion to have lots of job experiences for students while they’re still in high school,” said Beth Crider, who is the Peoria County Regional Superintendent of Schools.

Apprenticeships include Labor Union Apprenticeships through West Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Unions, Direct to Employer Apprenticeships through SkillsUSA Illinois, and ICC Apprenticeships providing credentials and employment during and after college.

“This will allow us to have staff to organize, make the contacts, develop the experiences so that they’re ready-made for students to walk into . . . we’re trying to re-look at how high school prepares you for what you want to do when you leave.” Crider said.

The partners with ICC include, Illini Bluffs High School, Pekin High School, Peoria Public Schools, the ROE, SkillsUSA, and West Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Unions.