Subscribe to our newsletter TODAY!

Find resources to help strengthen your communities, build collaborative relationships and receive the latest updates on other resources and articles.

Part-Time Employment for In-School Youth (ages 16-24)
For In-school youth part-time employment opportunities or full-time employment opportunities will be provided during times when the youth are out of school. Eligible youth will be placed in age-appropriate, ability-appropriate, and experience-appropriate employment linked to one of the sixteen career clusters identified below. The youth's wage period cannot exceed 3 months (13 weeks). In-School youth are those youth actively pursuing their high school diploma or GED, or those enrolled in post-secondary education at least half-time.

Full-Time Employment for Out-of-School Youth (ages 16-24)
For Out-of-school youth full-time employment opportunities will be provided. Eligible youth will be placed in age-appropriate, ability-appropriate, and experience-appropriate employment linked to one of the sixteen career clusters identified below. The youth's wage period cannot exceed 3 months (13 weeks). In-School youth are those youth actively pursuing their high school diploma or GED, or those enrolled in post-secondary education at least half-time. Out-of-School youth are those youth that have already acquired their high school diploma or GED.

NOTE: Out-of-school youth that are not actively engaged in pursuing their high school diploma or GED may still be eligible for the program. These youth must actively re-engage in the pursuit of their Diploma or GED.

Targeted Industries and Career Clusters
All educational enrichment and work readiness projects must be aligned with the career clusters or groups of occupations and industries that have in common a set of foundational knowledge and skills. There are 16 nationally recognized clusters including:
    • Agricultural, Food & Natural Resources
    • Hospitality & Tourism
    • Architecture & Construction
    • Human Services
    • Arts
    • Information Technology
    • Audio/Video Technology & Communications
    • Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security
    • Business Management & Administration
    • Manufacturing
    • Education & Training
    • Marketing
    • Finance
    • Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics
    • Government & Public Administration
    • Transportation, Distribution, & Logistics
    • Health Science
.
Eligible Youth Participants
In-school youth ages 16-24, or out of school youth ages 16-24 who are served in or meet one or more of the following:
    • National School Lunch Program / Free & Reduced Lunch Program
    • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
    • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
    • Other risk factors:
    • At risk of involvement or further involvement in the criminal or juvenile justice system, including ex-offenders
    • At risk of involvement in the child welfare system
    • At risk of education failure (includes risk due to social conditions)
    • Education failure (Dropped Out, Expelled, etc., no GED)
    • Youth with no work experience
    • Youth with a history of employment failure
    • Homeless youth
    • Youth with a disability
    • Family income does not exceed 185% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)

Participants must include documentation to support the above eligibility requirements as well as the following.

Lake County, Illinois Residency
Completion of an I9 Form: https://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf

For Youth That Are Selected
Youth that have successfully completed their online application will be contacted by one of our staff to schedule a time for you to come in to our office with your proof of eligibility documentation.

Youth who are selected to participate in the program will be assigned a program orientation date and time.

Prior to Actual Employment
In order for a youth be assigned to a worksite and begin their on-the-job training with stipend pay, it is mandatory that all program youth complete the following:

    1) Work Readiness Training: These are short projects that provide training on the work readiness skills needed for employment using the Illinois workNet portal www.illinoisworknet.com In addition; work readiness activities may also include hands-on experience aligned with the identified Career Clusters.

    2) Illinois workNet: All youth applications must be entered in Illinois workNet. Once the youth has completed an application in Illinois workNet, our case manager will verify eligibility. If eligibility is determined, the application will be printed out and the youth participant and case manager will sign it and maintain it along with the eligibility documentation in the youth’s file.

The following tools available through the Illinois workNet will be required for all participants.

No search results found based on your selection.

1. Please download, save and complete the attached application.

2. Email a scanned copy of your completed and signed application to employment@myemployeeconnections.com OR Upload Application OR

3. Drop of your application at the following address.

    Employee Connections
    2504 Washington Street
    Suite 602
    Waukegan, Illinois 60085

2019 Awarded $558,549 Illinois Department of Human Services Illinois Youth Investment Program “IYIP” FY2020 Program Grant

2019 Awarded $131,000 WIOA Workforce Development Continuation Program Grant

2019 Awarded $45,000 Steans Family Foundation Grant for North Chicago “Warhawks Summer Up” Internship Program

2008 – 2015 107 high school juniors and seniors successfully completed our Student Connect afterschool job-readiness program which provided job-readiness training, life skills and job shadowing to juniors and seniors in the North Chicago, Waukegan, and Zion high schools.

2009 – 2014 Placed over 700 low-income and disadvantage youth and adult residents of Lake County, IL in subsidized and non-subsidized jobs.

2009 - For the Black Chamber of Commerce of Lake County, successfully recruited, interviewed and administered aptitude testing to 141 applicants for their Pre-Apprenticeship Construction Trades Program

2010 - Received the Soring Eagles - Peoples Voce News Paper “Business Leadership Award”

2010 - 2011 Employee Connections was awarded a $275,896 grant to implement and operation the Put Illinois to Work Program for all of Lake County, IL. This program was funded by the Department of Human Service. 400 low-income Youth and Adult were placed through Employee Connections in subsidized employment across Lake County, IL making on an average of $1,600 a month per trainee-worker for nine months. This amounted to roughly $5.5 million dollars in trainee-worker income from this program spent in Lake County, IL. This was a significant positive impact on Lake County, IL’s economy.

2011 - Received Bank of America Neighborhood Award in conjunction with the Black Chamber of Commerce of Lake County.

2011 - Received Black Chamber of Commerce of Lake County - Wreather L. Osorio Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

2011 - Awarded a $9,000 grant from The Lake County Community Foundation

2011 – 2012 Awarded $49,600 for the Digital Divide grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Used for the “Joshua Project” – Computer Soft Skills Training Program. Over 250 program participants successfully completed training and graduated from the program.

2013 - 2014 Provided computer soft skills training for Lake County Jails work release inmates, Salvation Army Rehabilitation program residents, Waukegan Township clients and other low-income and youth and adults in Lake County, IL.

2013 – 2014 Providing Job-readiness and Life Skills training to participants in the Black Chamber of Commerce of Lake County’s Transportation Construction Apprenticeship Readiness Training, Referral and Intermodal Placement Program (funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation).

2013 -2014 – Awarded $530,000 in grants by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Grants were used to implement the SYEP Summer Youth Employment Programs for all Lake County, IL. 200 youth ages 16 – 24 participated in the program earning an hourly rate of $9 and working a 35-hour week for four to five months. All youth successfully completed the program and 15% of youth were hired after the program ended in permanent jobs.

2013 – 2015 Awarded a $146,970 in mini grants by anonymous donor to operation our small summer youth employment program. 62 youth ages 14 – 18 participated in the Mini 20 and Career Builders programs. Youth earned an hourly rate of $9 and worked a 25- 35-hour week for six to seven weeks. All youths successfully completed the program and two were hired on permanent after the program ended.

2014 - Received Community Action Partnership of Lake County’s Emerging Leader Award

2014 - 2016 Employee Connections, in partnership with the Lake County Jails and Sheriff’s Office implemented an in-house computer training program for inmates. This training is provided inside the jail for groups of 15 or more inmates to go through a 5-week training program year round.

2016 - Received the Fuller Center, Hero Project - Working Families award.

2016 - Received the Black Chamber of Commerce of Lake County’s Legacy Award

2017 – Youth Job-Readiness to On-The-Job Training Program. Received $98,782 in funds from Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in Partnership with Community Partnership of Lake County to administer this program. 25 youth ages 15-24 successfully completed the program 20% of youth transitioned from subsidized to unsubsidized employment.

2017 – Manufacturing Construction Internship Program Recruitment Project. Damarea Sims, age 21, one of the MCIP candidates we recruited, also participated in our 2015 job placement program. Damarea successfully completed the MCI program and was hired as a full-time forklift operator at AzkoNobel. During his 8-week internship, Damarea walked to class and to his internship worksite every day, a 10 – 11 mile round trip walk. Damarea was considered an outstanding youth participant in the program and now is an outstanding employee. Damarea no longer has to walk to work. He now has a car and is making $15.00 per hour.

2017 - 2018 – Illinois Youth Investment Program: Awarded $278,847.00 by the Illinois Department of Human Services to implement a IYIP program for 50 youth. As of 4-1-18, 35 youth have been placed in subsidized employment and 15 more youth are on schedule to be place by 5-1-18. Youth are on schedule to transition from subsidized to unsubsidized full or part-time employment on or before their 13-week on-the-job training ends.

Mary Lockhart White
Board President
Executive Director/CEO of Community Action Partnership of Lake County, Illinois

Stacy Bullard
Board Vice-President
Owner of Integrity Developers, Waukegan, Illinois

Stephen McCulley
Treasurer
General Manager of Greatlakes Navy Lodge, Great Lakes, Illinois

Reverend Ellie J. Coleman
Pastor of Way Through The Word Ministries Church, Gurnee, Illinois

Dr. Lucille Coleman
Retired Professor, Nursing Faculty of the College of Lake County, Illinois

Lisa Meggs
VP of Community Banking for Waukegan Community Bank (A branch of Lake Forest Bank and Trust) | A Wintrust Financial Corporation Bank, Lake Forest/Waukegan, Illinois

Suzanne Wieseneck
Co-Founder of Yankee Springer Foundation, Lake Forest, Illinois

Megan Moore
Director of Legal Operations for J. Witherspoon Legal & Mediation Services, Waukegan, Illinois

Maurice Vincent
Vice President, Client Safety Solutions & Customer Support Sales & Customer Support of National Safety Council, Greater Chicagoland, Illinois

Mark Bromberg
Business Performance Advisor for Insperity, Buffalo Grove, Illinois

  The Steans Family Foundation

  Yankee Sprinker Foundation

Work Readiness Training: Training is provided on the work readiness skills needed for employment using the Illinois workNet portal www.illinoisworknet.com In addition; work readiness activities may also include hands-on experience aligned with the Nation-wide Career Clusters. All are program youth are provide with the following training:

      • Skills & Interests

      • Employment 101 Curriculum

           1) Pre-Assessment
           2) Educational Activities (The Guide)
           3) Post-Assessment

      • Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

      • Diversity & Inclusion Training

      • Conflict Resolution Training

      • Interpersonal Communication Training

      • Social Media Etiquette Training