Volume 08 | NOVEMBER 2019
OCTOBER RECAP:
FALL SUMMIT & 8th GRADE CAREER EXPO
COMPACT hosted the first Education to Employer Fall Summit with over 80 participants sparking conversations about postsecondary collaborations that help build a talent pipeline in McLean County. Participants had the opportunity to be part of a fireside chat with local college and university presidents and attend breakout sessions on career services, upskilling the workforce, and the economic impact of being a "college town". More information can be found on our web page.
8th Grade Career Expo hosted by the Bloomington Area Career Center (BACC) had almost 2,300 students in attendance from 20 different school who had the opportunity to explore careers at 68 booths that were filled by local businesses who provided hands-on experiences for the students. A full list of the 2019 industry partners and schools participating can be found on the 8th Grade Career Expo web page.
UNITED WAY INTRODUCES: WORKFORCE 180
To better match employers with a largely untapped potential workforce, United Way of McLean County introduced Workforce180 this past summer. Workforce180 isn’t a jobs program. It’s not about creating something new. It IS about aligning local resources and systems in more effective ways to achieve the ultimate goal of Workforce180:   Create economic prosperity for at-risk youth and families


How it works:
Phase 1 – United Way partners with local organizations to identify/prep at-risk candidates for career training in key sectors in coordination with BN Advantage strategies. 

Phase 2 – United Way partners with Heartland Community College to provide the appropriate training/certifications – current candidates are completing CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) training . At the same time United Way coordinates local social service and professional development resources for program participants. Workforce 180 participants receive a wide range of assistance from resume writing and interview skills, to addressing obstacles that may keep them at-risk (e.g. childcare, transporation, etc).

Phase 3 – Workforce 180 participants successfully transition to employment. This is obtained by c oordinating with local employers and continuing to address obstacles that might derail successful workplace transitions.

What’s next? The Workforce 180 program currently has 7 candidates working through the above phases and they are looking for more! United Way continues coordinating with BN Advantage partners and local employers to identify additional career paths and opportunities to match our workforce with local employer needs.

For more information please visit the Workforce 180 website or contact David Taylor, at dtaylor@uwaymc.org .
PATHWAYS ENDORSEMENT PROJECT MEETING
Calling all High School Instructors of
Health Science, Information Technology, and Agriculture
AND High School Career Counselors

The McLean County Chamber of Commerce and the McLean County Community COMPACT applied for and received funding through the 60 x 25 Network to plan and begin implementation for college and career pathway endorsements on high school diplomas, one element of the Postsecondary Workforce Readiness Act (PWR). A committee leading the efforts to “identify a sequence of courses extending from high school into postsecondary education and undertake curriculum alignment addressing the career-focused instruction component of endorsement” in endorsement areas of Heath Science, Information Technology and Agriculture would like to showcase their work and open conversation for continued work on the pathways endorsement project.

Please join us:
When: December 3, 2019
  • 9:00 am - noon Identified Pathway Instructors and Curriculum Developers
  • 1:00 -4 :00 pm: Career Counselors

*please note this meeting is open to instructors, administrators, and career counselors

Where: Heartland Community College
What: Pathways Endorsement Project Meeting
Cost: Free to Attend / Lunch Provided / Reimbursement for Substitute Teacher Available

CAREER LINK INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOP
Wednesday, Nov. 6th at 9:30 am
705 E. Lincoln St., Suite 110, Normal, IL

Learn about the services that Career Link has to Offer! Including Career Services, Training Services, and Business Services.

To reserve your spot, please call Maria at 309-807-1386. More information about Career Link is available through their website at www.careerlink16.com
"The Loop" @ STATE FARM
BN STEM has created “ The Loop ” , offering monthly networking events that allow local educators to experience STEM within McLean County. More information and registration can be found on BN STEM website .

Next Loop event will take place on November 21st at State Farm Corporate South from 4:30 pm -6:30 pm. Join us for a visit to State Farm and learn all about AI (Artificial Intelligence, XR-Extended Reality, and VR-Virtual Reality). Hear about the new technologies in the Labs/ Innovation space and what skills State Farm looks for in people that do this type of work. The event will host a panel of interns from Enterprise Technology, Labs, and Information Security. You will hear about the courses they took hat helped prepare them and will share advice you can give your own students who are interested i getting into a technology field and more!

CPDUs are available. It is free to join, however, you must register as a member of the Loop to register for events.
ESSENTIAL WORKPLACE SKILLS (EWS)
Essential Workplace Skills (EWS) was co-developed by the Chamber/ COMPACT and Heartland Community College. EWS workshops include small group and individual activities, scenarios, and discussions for an interactive learning experience. Each module consists of one 4-hour session. Open enrollment workshops are scheduled monthly.


The next open enrollment workshops:

-Navigating Challenges and Stressors: November 08, 2019

REGISTER HERE Or register by calling 309-268-8160.
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EWS?

JOIN US:
Tuesday, November 12, 7:30-9:00 AM
Heartland Community College Campus
Learn how your employees and organization would benefit from EWS in this free, 90-minute informational meeting. Connect EWS topics to your organization's mission and employee responsibilities. Get an overview of the tools your employees would learn to use and how you would support their action plans back on the job. 
No fee to participate, but please  email Angie Coughlin   or call at 309-268-8193 with your intention to attend: Angie.coughlin@heartland.edu
BECOMING BN 2020
Becoming BN 2020 is coming!

For 2020, the program will hold six events from June - July introducing participants to our thriving community and providing them opportunities to network with not only their peers but community and business leaders. 

Want to learn more? Sign-up to receive updates .

Becoming BN is a program of the McLean County Community COMPACT, a subsidiary of the McLean County Chamber of Commerce. The program was piloted in 2019 and is specifically designed for summer interns, grad students, and recent graduates in McLean County to learn more about the wonderful attributes Bloomington-Normal has to offer.  
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
RESOURCE CORNER
  • The 2019 Illinois Report Card was released in October. This is the state’s official source for information about public schools across Illinois. The information available through the report card will help you act as an informed partner in the education of our children. Families, researchers, policy makers, and community members can use the site to find school data, including academic performance, school environment, educators, students, and highlights provided by principals.


For information about COMPACT or information in this newsletter
contact Jancy LaFollette ,Workforce Development Manager