Peoria Update: June 2017

In AY 2016-17 Peoria Pathways to Prosperity placed sixty interns at 16 unique employers. Peoria is on track to launch a Criminal Justice Pathway in AY 2017-18 and an Education & Training Pathway in AY 2018-19. They are also refining their Career Pathways guide for the upcoming year. Finally, the American Federation of Teachers is offering a third year of funding to sustain and expand the Pathways work in Greater Peoria.

With this third year of potential funding from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Peoria Pathways to Prosperity is looking to both sustain the work that has been started with Peoria Pathways, but also begin to expand the work regionally. Through this funding, they will continue to support the Peoria Pathways Coordinator position exclusive to Peoria Public Schools, while also funding a Greater Peoria Pathways Co-Director position that will work jointly with partners at Illinois Central College to support communities throughout the region to begin building a regional career pathways strategy.

Additionally, Illinois Central College (ICC) has expressed interest in creating a fully-funded position that will work jointly – as a ‘co-director’ with the Greater Peoria Pathways Co-Director at the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council (GPEDC). This person will work with Peoria Public Schools to continue their career pathways work as well as regional school districts to develop and implement career pathways in the region’s most critically needed sectors of Health Sciences, Information Technology, Manufacturing, and Education & Training.

The GPEDC and CEO Council have also committed to the creation of a Greater Peoria Works intern position that will support the recruitment and retention of employers in the Greater Peoria Works network. 

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