West40 believes that every student deserves a chance for success in the classroom and in the future. In fact, a goal of West40’s new Employability Program is to help students see career opportunities they may have never considered.
In meeting with students involved in West40’s Seniors Plus program, many showed interest in business, robotics and manufacturing.
Recently, our Employability Program welcomed representatives from The Royal Group, a corrugated box manufacturing company based in Cicero, to speak with Seniors Plus students about careers in manufacturing.
Joe Brisson, The Royal Group’s Retention and Recruiting Manager, said the industry is in urgent need of a new generation of workers.
“I think there's the unknown of what we do,” Brisson explained. “I think younger students don’t realize what goes into the world of corrugating. So our message, and the reason we’re visiting schools, is to inform students about how we produce corrugated boxes and the career opportunities available. You can make a very good living in this industry.”
According to Brisson, there is a clear career trajectory for workers who start at the age of 18 or 19.
“The corrugated business isn’t going away anytime soon,” Brisson stated. “Everybody needs a box at some point. They can basically start working in machines. They can do all different machines. They can become a supervisor.”
Armando Guerrero started working at The Royal Group as a young adult and is now a graphics converting manager.
“I started when I was 18 years old and I guess they gave me an opportunity as a manager, one day, supervisor, manager. I still don't believe that I had that opportunity and somebody thought that I could do it. To this day, I feel blessed,” Guerrero said. “I want to do the same thing for the new generations to come.”
The West40 Employability Program is committed to ensuring students know about the career paths available to them, and partnerships with The Royal Group and other businesses can open doors to possible long-term career options.
“TRG presented who their company is, shared the potential for careers, and asked students to reach out to set up tours and explore job interviews as soon as they graduate. It's a win/win,” said Kathleen O’Hara, West40’s Partnerships and Engagement coordinator.
West40’s Employability Program has office hours twice a month at Morton College and Proviso East High School. O’Hara said she works with the students to identify areas that align with their interests, set up informational interviews with people in those careers, help them find internships that allow them to try the careers, or work with them to figure out the best educational journey to achieve their goals.
Please email O’Hara at kohara@west40.org if you are interested in learning more about the West40 Employability Program.