The Apprentice Perspective

The WBLA Catalysts Initiative is an award bestowed by the Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship Committee of the IWIB to recognize excellence in work-based learning programming. Meet the inaugural winners of this award, Elgin Community College (ECC), represented by Dr. Gina De rosier-Cook, Dean of Workforce Development, and Elissa Kojzarek, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Experiential Learning (SPEL). They are joined by Danielle Kuglin-Seago of the College of DuPage to discuss the two factors that earned them this distinction: their "intrusive coordination" approach to business engagement and their "seven days to kick-start your career" pre-apprenticeship program. This episode marks the end of our National Apprenticeship Week series for this season, and we hope that you will join us in celebrating apprentices everywhere with us in Illinois.To learn more about apprenticeships, go to ApprenticeshipIL.com and follow Apprenticeship Illinois on LinkedIn. 

Gavin Carman, a Second Year Client Services Apprentice at Aon in Bannockburn, Illinois, spent a lot of time thinking while working as a delivery person. At 25, he knew the career path he was on wasn’t sustainable, but he had already tried schooling in a more traditional way. A Google search led him to an apprenticeship, where he found the opportunity he had been searching for, one where he could not only earn and learn at the same time but also develop the skills to thrive and become someone people looked to to problem solve. He is joined in conversation by John Barr, Workforce Development Manager with the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, who finds that time and time again, the answer to finding and keeping talent is apprenticeship. Gavin and John discuss the “slingshot” opportunity of Gavin’s apprenticeship, having to take a few steps back to leap forward, and how apprenticeship is shaping the workforce today and tomorrow. To learn more about apprenticeships, go to ApprenticeshipIL.com and follow Apprenticeship Illinois on LinkedIn. 

Sania Kamani, a Second Year Apprentice in the Claims Admin Department at Zurich North America in Schaumburg, Illinois, set her sights on apprenticeship in high school. Though discouraged at first, through determination and drive she graduated high school with honors and entered the apprenticeship program, where she found community, mentorship, and gained experience. Kamani is a member of the 2026 Illinois Apprentice Ambassador cohort. Joining Sania is Debra Lawrence, Director of Business Services for Business and Career Services at the American Job Center in Wheeling, Illinois, who is working on the ground to expand the apprenticeship model.  Their conversation explores what it means to be an apprentice and what it looks like for business and families, especially those making the transition from high school to working.  To learn more about apprenticeships, go to ApprenticeshipIL.com and follow Apprenticeship Illinois on LinkedIn. 

John Williams, a Senior Analyst at Accenture in Chicago, had to convince his parents that he had a job when he joined a paid apprenticeship at age 19. Little did they know that this position would give him the training, mentorship, and camaraderie he needed to thrive. Williams is a member of the 2026 cohort of Illinois Apprentice Ambassadors. He is joined in conversation by Co-Chair of the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board (IWIB) and CEO of UCC Environmental, Andrew Warrington, who reflects on how his own apprenticeship experience in the U.K. inspired him to help expand apprenticeship presence in the U.S. after emigrating here 27 years ago.What they both found is that the best of the best feel imposter syndrome. If you push through, you'll find that "you belong where you are." To learn more about apprenticeships, go to ApprenticeshipIL.com and follow Apprenticeship Illinois on LinkedIn.