advertisement

ECC, Harper work center sees rising student enrollment

In just its first year of operation, the Education and Work Center in Hanover Park already is seeing a strong demand for its services, officials say.

There's a waitlist of people trying to get basic English language skills and complete their high school equivalency at the center ­— a joint initiative of Elgin Community College and Harper College in Palatine.

The center, which is halfway through a three-year pilot program, opened in fall 2014 with 282 students. Between then and summer 2015, 611 students had attended courses there.

“It started out large right away and has consistently stayed large in enrollment,” said Rebecca Walker, senior director of the Education and Work Center. “The very first semester we opened, by the end of that semester we had a waitlist of over 400 people.”

Officials are anticipating enrollment of nearly 400 students this spring, similar to spring 2015.

All classes and services offered at the center are free. Classes run in the morning and evening and are taught by Harper and ECC instructors.

The center, located at 6704 Barrington Road in the Hanover Square shopping center, has five classrooms and courses typically are filled to capacity. It offers English as a Second Language and Illinois High School Equivalency classes.

“When we first opened our doors we weren't sure what to expect so we offered every level of course in those adult education classes,” Walker said.

ECC offers 10 levels of English as a Second Language at its main campus in Elgin. A majority of students who attend the Hanover Park center are at levels 1 and 2, Walker said.

The same is true for high school equivalency. Most students came to the center at the adult basic education level, she added.

“The higher-level classes, we ran them but we only had eight to 10 students,” she said. “The lower-level classes were filled to capacity.”

While there is still an opportunity to register for classes, interested students would need to call and set up an appointment by Jan. 5 to begin the three-step process of testing, orientation and registration. Some classes already are at capacity for the spring term and there is a waitlist for morning classes.

“Most people have never had to wait more than one semester to get into their class,” Walker said.

Students who obtain their high school equivalency through the center get a tuition waiver for their first three-credit course at either ECC or Harper. Some students have gone on to pursue health care, accounting and other certificate programs at the colleges.

Another asset for students is the on-site Illinois workNet Center, which offers computer workshops, job search assistance, a career adviser, help with resume and cover letter writing, and access to training and employment services.

“They are doing a lot of career coaching and getting people into new jobs,” Walker said. “We really look at ourselves as the first point of contact with the community. We plan to see them stepping up and continuing on to either employment, college credit classes or certificate programs.”

A majority of people who use the center are between 25 and 44 years old, 63 percent are from Hanover Park, and about 93 percent are Hispanic. Most students find the center through word-of-mouth referrals.

“We do have 20 to 30 different countries of students enrolled, and we are seeing that grow too,” Walker said. “It's really exciting the community really embraced us that way. They are sending their friends and family to us, which is a great compliment from the community.”

Walker said ECC and Harper are committed to keeping the center running after the three-year pilot ends in May 2017. Yet, the state's financial problems might throw a wrench into their plans.

The center is funded 50/50 by both colleges — each college has pledged to provide up to $250,000 yearly toward its operation. The first year of operation cost about $322,000 total.

Classes are funded through the Illinois Community College Board Adult Education Program, which receives state and federal dollars.

“Only the federal money has been released,” Walker said. “Both college presidents and boards have expressed commitment to the center. It took a long time to make it come about and there were a lot of years in planning, but it was worth it. The response from the community has really proved that this was needed. It's not a matter of if it will continue, but how.”

Harper College and Elgin Community College jointly launched the Education and Work Center at the Hanover Square shopping center in fall 2014. Enrollment at the center is growing. Daily Herald File Photo
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.