North Greene High School
students participate in a
Work Experience program.
North Greene High School, located in west central Illinois, serves students in the agricultural communities of Roodhouse, White Hall, Hillview, Patterson, and other surrounding rural areas. With approximately 250 students in the high school, quality jobs for youth are not always abundant in the area.
Going back to Spring 2021, as we were all learning to deal with the pandemic, a thought occurred to Mr. Chuck McEvers, the industrial arts teacher at North Greene High School. Would there be a way to employ high school students during the summer and accomplish some much needed tasks in the school district buildings and community parks while also teaching valuable employment skills and preparing for life after high school?
This thought put into motion a series of things to do, including putting forth the idea to school administrators, talking to youth at the high school to see if they would even be interested in working at the school and contacting the local American Job Center (WIOA) to see if they would be interested in partnering on this project. The answer to all three of these was a “yes” from everyone involved: the school administrators, the youth, the Job Center, and LWIA 21!
As the program progressed through its first year, the students not only earned a paycheck along with much needed work experience, they developed new life skills such as time management, organization and financial management. Working up to 25 hours per week, they were able to get to know Mr. McEvers and the other North Greene staff and began working on career pathway plans for the future.
Now in it’s third year, the paid work experience program at North Greene High School is currently employing 25 youth participants and has filled approximately 65 openings since those first discussions in 2021. Many of the students have graduated and moved onto different phases of their individual career pathway through post-secondary education, military enrollment and full-time employment. All along the way, they have had the continued support, encouragement and mentoring from Mr. McEvers and the LWIA 21 staff.
The success at North Greene High School has led to efforts to not only replicate this program at other area high schools, but also possibly braid funding efforts with Youth Build, Teen Construction Camps and other initiatives in partnership with LWIA 21’s Youth Committee. Many of the WIOA partners are interested in participating as they see this as a youth paid work experience program that can also be part of a talent pipeline for the businesses in the area that so desperately need a skilled workforce. The impact of North Greene’s youth program has had a positive impact on not only the school and the surrounding communities, but also the entire workforce area. It has been a shining example of true partnership, sustainability and a shared vision for the future.