From McHenry County:

Manufacturing Internship Program Flourishes Thanks to Advance McHenry County Funding

WOODSTOCK, Ill. – A manufacturing internship program funded through the Advance McHenry County initiative is off to a great start.

This summer, 139 students from almost every McHenry County high school will work at paid internships with 17 area manufacturers, courtesy of the Manufacturing Pathways Rotational Internship Program.

The interest from students and employers alike far exceeded the program’s original anticipation of granting 100 internships to 10 manufacturers.

The McHenry County Board in February voted unanimously to allocate $717,300 in Advance McHenry County, through McHenry County College, to fund the internship program.

Advance McHenry County was created to invest tens of millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 recovery funding into projects that directly benefit the community.

“The County Board’s decision to allocate Advance McHenry County funding to start this internship program was an investment in our future,” County Board Chairman Mike Buehler, R-Crystal Lake, said.

“This inaugural class of summer interns will be the first of many to explore careers in the manufacturing trades.

“We’re grateful to the participating businesses that have stepped forward to train the next generation of skilled manufacturing workers.”

Students will participate in a 10-week, paid work program to expose them to local manufacturing career opportunities through the consortium, which is composed of manufacturers, educators and community partners working together to secure a talent pipeline of skilled employees.

“On behalf of MCC and the Manufacturing Pathways Consortium, we are beyond grateful to the Advance McHenry County grant for supporting this important internship program that will benefit both students and the county’s manufacturing industry,” MCC President Clint Gabbard said.

“With help from McHenry County’s generous funding through Advance McHenry County, we can increase the awareness of career opportunities within local industry for more students than ever before, as well as continue
to showcase the many exciting and innovative pathways available with our area manufacturers.”

Participating manufacturers are

• AFC Materials Group,
• Alpha Swiss Industries Inc.,
• Berry Global,
• BTM Industries Inc.,
• Burnex Corp.,
• Fabrik Molded Plastics Inc.,
• General Kinematics Corp.,
• Huntsman, J
• essup Manufacturing Co.,
• Matrix/M4 Factory,
• PetDine,
• Phoenix Woodworking Corp.,
• Remke’s Garage,
• Socomec
• Boltswitch,
• Scot Forge,
• TC Industries Inc., and
• True Value.

The County Board since January has approved a dozen Advance McHenry County grants, totaling $9.8 million of the nearly $29.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding it intends to invest directly into infrastructure capital projects, workforce development and jobs programs, nonprofit agencies, special districts, and local governments.

Applications are still being accepted, and eligible entities are encouraged to apply. You can learn more about the Advance McHenry County initiative and apply for funding by visiting www.mchenrycountyil.gov/advance.