SkillsUSA Illinois and ACE help students find a good-paying career

Continuing our National Apprenticeship Week coverage, Eric Hill, Executive Director for SkillsUSA Illinois, and Ricardo Aguilar, a student and intern through the Alignment Collaborative for Education (ACE) training program, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the opportunities for high school students to begin workforce training and find a career in the trades after graduation.

The goal of ACE is to align community resources and collaborate with organizations in support of public school strategies. This is meant to raise student achievement and create responsible, productive and contributing members of society.

SkillsUSA is a nationwide student organization with over 450,000 participants from middle and high schools each year. The organization has been around for over 60 years, helping connect students and schools with the training, preparation and opportunities to succeed in the workplace. SkillsUSA Illinois is ramping up its programming by using millions of dollars in new state and federal funds to help more students in Illinois find good-paying careers without a four-year college degree. Hill explained that this funding is helping students like Aguilar prepare for a future with a good, high-paying career.

Aguilar grew up in an immigrant household, and he discussed his upbringing and what led him to participate in the ACE training program. He spoke about his love of fixing old cars and how that helped him find a home as a service intern with ALTA Equipment Company. Aguilar said the hands-on experience during his three years has reinforced his desire to pursue a career as a mechanic, specifically in heavy machinery.

Hill said Aguilar has become an example of success as he transitions from an automotive mechanic to a career in the heavy equipment industry. Hill talked about the feedback SkillsUSA Illinois has received from the companies that place interns in the program. He said work still needs to be done to provide career opportunities in emerging trades, and explained what SkillsUSA Illinois is doing to prepare students for those opportunities.

For more on SkillsUSA Illinois and providing workforce development programs to high school students, listen to the show above.