Grundy program may mean summer jobs for students
By Kris Stadalsky Correspondent January 21, 2013 10:42AM
Updated: February 26, 2013 6:11AM
An internship program being created by Grundy County industry and educators possibly will mean summer jobs for area high school students.
Industry leaders, educators and representatives from the Grundy Economic Development Council have been meeting to kick-start a summer internship initiative, under the direction of state Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris.
Rezin hosted the meetings, the first of which was held in December, at the Grundy Economic Development Center.
Representatives from Aux Sable Liquid Products, Exelon, Morris Hospital and Chicago Aerosol met with educators from local high schools and Grundy Area Vocational Center.
The immediate goal is to get high school counselors working with local industry to put students into existing or new summer internships.
The long-term goal is to bring local high school graduates back to Grundy County after college to live and work.
“(The discussion was) how can we get our graduates to come back to Grundy County,” said Minooka Superintendent Jim Colyott at a recent school board meeting. “There’s an incredible amount of industry here.”
The group met twice in a two-week period and is anticipating 20 to 30 job applications coming back to area high schools, Colyott said.
“We are pretty excited about helping these kids,” he said. “Anytime we can connect kids with industry is a golden opportunity for educators.”
