Alignment Collaborative for Education

It's been over a week since Summer Internship Program Applications have opened!

From March 2-16, high school students will be applying for over 300 placements across a multitude of careers and industries.

Here's a snapshot of our time at Central High School where we met with students for resume review and interview skill development ahead of the application's launch.

In total, we've equipped over 1,900 students across all four school districts with in-person and virtual career skill workshops in preparation for the internship program and other summer employment opportunities.

We are cheering on our students as they complete the application process and excited to place outstanding interns throughout the region in June 2026!

Congratulations to our very own Nancy Coleman as she is named the State of Illinois Carl Perkins Community Service Award Winner by the Illinois Association of Career and Technical Education (IACTE)! 🎉

Nominated by Northern Kane County Vocational Region 110, this prestigious award recognizes Nancy's impactful use of Career and Technical Education (CTE) to make a significant, humanitarian impact on the community.

Under her visionary leadership, the collaborative has achieved remarkable milestones:

📍 3,418 students strengthened their resumes through regional workshops.

📍Student internship placements increased from 52 to 243, supported by $240,000 in student stipends.

📍Employers contributed 14,580 volunteer hours, representing an estimated $729,000 investment into the local community.

We are so proud and inspired by Nancy's dedication to our students and the local community. As the Illinois state winner, she will advance to regional consideration late this spring, with the potential for national consideration in the fall of 2026.

Read more about Nancy's impact and IACTE award in the link below.

Region 110 Celebrates Nancy Coleman as the IACTE Carl Perkins Community Service Award Winner | Alignment Collaborative for Education Northern Kane County Vocational Region 110 proudly announces that Nancy Coleman, Executive Director of the Alignment Collaborative for Education, has been named the State of Illinois Carl Perkins Community Service Award Winner by the Illinois Association of Career and Technical Education (IACTE).

On February 12, Northern Kane County Region 110, in partnership with Camcraft and Matrix, offered Central High School students the opportunity to study the latest automation and robotics applications in manufacturing.

The visit attracted students interested in engineering and manufacturing careers to highly automated operations beyond the classroom.

Thank you to Camcraft and Matrix for championing these experiences for the region’s future engineering and precision manufacturing workforce!

Our Student Resource Day at Elgin High School on January 29 was an exciting success! Our team alongside dedicated community partners came together to provide nearly 500 students with essential life and career readiness resources, curating the morning's program specifically for each grade level.

Here’s just an overview what we were able to share with the students:
❤️ Career Planning and Mental health workshop with freshmen
📆 Postsecondary planning and Mental health workshop with sophomores
💼 Postsecondary planning, Summer internship opportunities, and Financial Literacy Workshop with juniors
💵 Career Planning, Financial Literacy Workshop, and Mock Behavioral Interviewing with seniors

Thank you to Elgin Community College, Fox Valley Fire & Safety, IHC, NAMI Kane-south, DeKalb and Kendall Counties, Northern Kane County Region 110, Pregis, Tena Raglin with Color Code Personality Science, Wintrust Bank, and Elgin High School for helping us bring this pilot program to the students.

We had a great morning at the 2025 Internship Host Breakfast Recognition held a Bartlett Hill Golf Club and Banquets. We recognized over 55 internship host companies where 243 students were placed last summer. Next Sumer we hope to place 300 students! A huge thank you to our school districts (300, 301, 303 and U-46) and business partners for your continued support and investment in the future workforce!

330 students participated in our Career and Technical Trades Panels today at Elgin High School. Meeting with passionate working professionals though 5 industry-specific panel discussions, students heard from panelists’ work experiences and advice as they contemplated careers in trades.

Thank you to our panelists for sharing your valuable industry insight and encouragement to our students!

After a lovely Thanksgiving lunch with the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce, the Alignment team along with students and staff from Central School District 301 and Northern Kane County Region 110 helped decorate the Atrium at Oak Crest for the holidays.

The U-46 Career and Technical trades panels facilitated by the Alignment team kicked off today at Larkin High School. Students heard from professionals in business, engineering, automotive, and healthcare fields. There was also a panel highlighting apprenticeship programs in the extrication field and at Elgin Community College.

Almost time to kick off our Regional Advisory Meeting!

Thank you to NIU College of Education for hosting our students at their Future Educators Conference!

From meeting with current Huskies and professors to touring the campus, students were able to explore the Education Pathway and consider their impact as future teachers.

Go Huskies!

We are ready for you U-46 eighth graders!