About Us

With the growing demands from the Illinois State Board of Education to prepare students for high-skill, high-demand careers, it is essential to develop a dedicated department addressing career technical education to increase employability for our Thornton Fractional High School District 215 students. In completing the TFD 215 Local Needs Assessment, one goal in creating a Department for Career Development is to lay the foundation for individual students to achieve work-based success defined in a number of ways, including earnings and quality of life. A second goal is to increase opportunities for students to attain hands-on training in high-skill, high-demand areas of our labor force. Increasing dual and concurrent enrollment courses and programs, post-secondary certification training, community partnerships, and/or providing opportunities for Associate of Arts degree attainment through our career development and career and technical education initiatives will create pathways to employment, Bachelor of Arts degrees, and more.

The creation of the Department for Career Development will effectively and consistently streamline these efforts to increase career pathway development, ensure expansion in current career pathway programs offered by the district, and ensure success and sustainability of all District 215 career pathway programs in conjunction with our community partners. This new career development structure will ensure that adequate processes and systems are in place on a consistent, full-time basis to attain many opportunities for our students to be successful in a competitive labor market.

Initiatives:

Increase awareness of CTE program offerings to all stakeholders (students, teachers, parents, community partners, etc…)
Increase the available dual-enrollment courses offered by the district
Ensure that all students enrolled in a dual-enrollment course within the district is registered to receive college credit
Utilize Naviance to assist with career planning for students
Create an ongoing career portfolio for each student
Facilitate early articulation with our feeder schools

Services:

CTE career fair
CTE open house
Academic Showcase
Career development portfolio
College & career readiness speaker series

Opportunities for Students:

Expansion of work-based learning opportunities
Students gain enhanced knowledge and experience to be competent in a particular career
Students gain relevant experience and life skills to prepare them for post-secondary education and/or employment