Career Connections, a new program that will link participants with local employment opportunities, is being launched by the 21st Century Program at Illinois Valley High School.

Representatives from IVHS and Illinois Valley Community Development Organization have been working with owners and managers of several local businesses to create the program. This collaborative effort will provide participants with more than 30 hours of job skills training, preparing them to secure work at local businesses beginning this summer, spokesmen noted.

Oregon Caves Chateau, Rough & Ready Lumber Co., Taylor’s Sausage, and Rogue Truck Body have committed to giving participants, who successfully complete the six-week Career Connections program, priority for open positions. 

Program coordinators still are actively seeking other employers who would like to provide work opportunities for Career Connections graduates.

Classes will begin on Tuesday, April 17 and take place Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:45 to 5:45 p.m.

The program is open to IVHS students and parents of children at any of Three River School District’s Illinois Valley schools.

Classes offered the first three weeks will address general work ethics and other skills necessary to be successful in the workplace. They include resume and interviewing skills, customer service training, and creative problem-solving.

During the second part of the program, participants will explore career paths and gain “important employment skills” by taking classes in a choice of fields.

Depending on the jobs for which they are interested participants will be able to choose from a number of classes in hospitality/food service (including receiving a food handler’s card), welding, construction, forestry, and computer skills. 

Participants who successfully complete the Career Connections program will receive a certificate of completion, and a letter to prospective employers outlining their participation in the program and the skills they gained.

At the end of the program, IVHS will host a job fair where local employers will present information about their business and what types of jobs or internships they have available. Students who successfully complete the program will have early access to the job fair to meet with prospective employers.

On Wednesday, April 4, IVHS will kick off the Career Connections program with a schoolwide assembly on “Basic Adapting and Connecting” led by Rob and Mary Hambleton. This one-hour workshop will focus on learning to assess and understand different personality types in order to facilitate better communication and interpersonal relationships, “which is an important aspect of being successful in the workplace.”

On Wednesday, April 11, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., the Hambletons will present a workshop at IVHS on “Conflict Resolution.” Workshop attendees will learn how different personality types tend to manage conflict. Five different conflict styles and strategies will be presented and explored using interactive group activities.

This program is open to the community and “is an excellent opportunity to learn about how to successfully handle conflict in any area of life, including the workplace and at home.”

For more information about the Career Connections program contact Jen Marsden at 226-6368, or Deb Murphy at 592-2866