Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center – Community Partnerships

June 2009 Update

Carreras en Salud (Careers in Health):

Carreras en Salud (Careers in Health) is a nationally recognized collaboration of Wilbur Wright College and the Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center, Instituto del Progreso Latino, Association House of Chicago, and the National Council of La Raza. It is designed to assist bilingual and bicultural Spanish-English Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA’s) and other health workers with patient care experience to become Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN’s). We have already seen the successful completion of over one hundred fifty students from this pathway program, filling a much-needed service gap in the health care industry in Chicago.

Carreras en Salud has also been exemplified as a model program for the second year by The Aspen Institute’s Workforce Strategies Initiative – Courses to Employment Learning Demonstration Project. This project grant, through a sub-contract with Instituto del Progreso Latino, will support the expansion of the Carreras en Salud program.

CIMA Technology Center:

Our partnership with Battelle, one of the world leaders in technological innovations, has been extended, which has made it possible to expand our offerings in the CIMA Technology programs. Students who have already successfully completed and been certified A+ Technicians are now enrolled in Network+ and the Center’s first virtual class. Another contributor to the success of the Center’s CIMA Technology students is the Computer Refurbishing Center, an internship program that provides students with practical hands-on work in refurbishing computers and performing installations. This is the result of a collaboration of HPVEC, Battelle, and the Digital Workforce Education Society.

Skills Programs Pathways

Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center has had a long and fruitful partnership with Instituto del Progreso Latino, and one of the continually growing initiatives is the Fast Track program in Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) and Industrial Maintenance (IM). These programs provide students with a short-term pathway to employment, while also providing them with the opportunity to complete the Advanced Certificate programs in CNC and IM with a solid foundation. Manufacturing Works, an organization that works closely with Instituto del Progreso Latino and with HPVEC, assists in placing students completing these programs in internships or jobs.

Erie House and Phalanx Family Services, two community based organizations, have also continued to partner successfully with HPVEC. Erie House also provides a pathway program in both CNC and IM, so that students can obtain employment in the short-term and complete the advanced program at HPVEC to improve their prospects for promotion or better employment opportunities. Phalanx Family Services aids those who have experienced great challenges in their lives and who seek to improve their personal and professional outlook; HPVEC has already seen the successful completion of two cohorts from this agency in the CNC program.

Paid internships for students in the Center’s manufacturing programs (CNC and IM) have been made possible in part by the Illinois Board of Higher Education Cooperative Work Study Grant.

Association House, one of HPVEC’s strongest partners and collaborator on many initiatives, has been developing an office technology career pathway, leading students to short-term employment and to HPVEC’s Advanced Certificate Information Processing Technology program.

Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness

HPVEC, in collaboration with the Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness, is in the process of developing a curriculum for a Language Pathway in Health Careers. The main goal of this initiative is to develop career pathways by which individuals who are bilingual Spanish-English working in the health field can obtain Spanish language proficiency in the context of the health care industry in order to be more successful in their jobs. In the Pipelines to Health Careers project, HPVEC continues its partnership with the Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness to offer classes to high school students to explore health careers, as well as to become more aware of diseases and health disparities in the community.

Dual Enrollment – College Bridge

Despite severe funding cutbacks, HPVEC continues to collaborate with area high schools to give students the opportunity to attend college credit classes in their junior and senior years of high school. HPVEC has continued its strong partnerships with ASPIRA – Mirta Ramirez High School and with Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School; dozens of students from these high schools have already successfully completed college credit classes in English and Math.

Advisory Boards and Committees

The HPVEC Community Advisory Board continues to be of service in areas that benefit the Center and the community it serves. This board includes community leaders and representatives from community based organizations and area employers. Our program advisory committees include well-respected representatives from the industry and have provided invaluable input as we forge the path to continual improvement in our programs to best serve our students.