English as a second language (ESL) students interact with instructor Betsy Kubota during a class at the Education and Work Center. The Hanover Park center offers free classes and workforce development geared to the region's immigrant population.
The E and W in EWC stand for Education and Work, but they just as easily could be short for Everybody and Welcome.
That鈥檚 because faculty and staff at the Education and Work Center, 6704 Barrington Road, Hanover Park, are as devoted to offering a path to a sustainable career as they are to supporting a prospective student鈥檚 dream of an education. Everyone is greeted warmly. Each person gets the assistance they need. No one is turned away.
鈥淭he first face you see is very important when it comes to institutions. Our priority is to be approachable,鈥� said Monika Gadek-Stephan, EWC鈥檚 senior director. 鈥淚t starts with the front desk and the bilingual staff who can work with students in English or Spanish. The majority of the people we serve are Spanish language speakers. They can get answers and support in Spanish.鈥�
Founded in 2014, EWC is strategically located in Hanover Park, home to large immigrant populations that have been underserved when it comes to educational resources. For instance, 37% of EWC students don鈥檛 have a high school degree. Many barriers exist for these individuals: language, cost and proximity to the central campuses of nearby community colleges. 91制片厂 and are each about a 10-mile drive from EWC.
In order to meet these students where they are (in more ways than one), EWC was built from an alliance between 91制片厂, ECC, the , the Village of Hanover Park and the State of Illinois. Its mission: 鈥淭o expand educational and employment opportunities for residents of Hanover Park and surrounding communities through coordinated education, workforce development and career readiness activities.鈥�
Monika Gadek-Stephan, EWC's senior director, said that staff and faculty at the center prioritize being approachable and welcoming.
What does that look like in practice? Beginner and intermediate English as a second language (ESL) classes and high school equivalency classes taught during the day by 91制片厂 instructors and in the evening by ECC instructors. Computer skills courses focused on online job searches and building resumes along with the onsite Center. Classes, training and workshops that are free of charge for all who walk in the door.
鈥淓WC is part of 91制片厂. Our goal is to serve the community and to work with employers,鈥� says Dr. Joanne Ivory, dean of career and technical programs at 91制片厂. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 happening at EWC goes back to our core values of helping students to earn diplomas, credentials, degrees 鈥� whatever they need to have successful, sustainable careers.鈥�
EWC鈥檚 success stories are numerous. Some students began with ESL classes at the center, then went to 91制片厂 or ECC and earned a credential to further their careers. Others needed translation assistance or career support to help them land a new job. Then there are the dozens and dozens of students who have achieved their Illinois High School Diplomas (formerly known as high school equivalency certificates) since the center opened.
Enrollment, which dipped during the pandemic, is returning to pre-pandemic levels, and then some. Gadek-Stephan said that the number of students in 2022-23 has broken the center鈥檚 all-time record. EWC students鈥� experiences are as varied as their countries of origin 鈥� currently standing at more than 30.
Although the largest populations come from Venezuela and Mexico, EWC serves students hailing from five continents. Iryna Dzundza came from Ukraine in 2022, after the war began. Her ex-husband had been working in the Chicago area for five years and was able to arrange to have Iryna and their two sons come to the U.S. to ensure their safety.
Iryna, 40, and her kids settled in Hanover Park in the summer, and she began taking ESL classes at EWC for the fall 2022 semester. Overwhelmed and experiencing culture shock, she found comfort in the EWC community 鈥� not just the helpful staff and supportive instructors, but her fellow students.
Iryna Dzundza, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine in 2022, praised the EWC's educational benefits and sense of community.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 just study English, the ESL [course] helps us immigrants understand U.S. culture,鈥� Iryna said. 鈥淎nd not just the U.S., but Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia鈥� because of the other students. It鈥檚 very interesting. It鈥檚 wonderful.鈥�
Iryna progressed to an intermediate ESL course this spring and added on a digital skills course. Her instructors, Betsy Kubota and Claudia L贸pez Heinrich, said she is flourishing, and they鈥檝e given her classroom leadership opportunities as a result. Iryna seeks to work in accounting (her career in Ukraine) or technology as her English continues to improve.
鈥淚 used to be worried about how people would hear or look at me because I couldn鈥檛 speak English. Now I鈥檓 proud that I can speak,鈥� Iryna said. 鈥淚 have more to learn. But no matter how old you are, you can start here and work to become what you want.鈥�
Bianel Hernandez Huerta experienced similar culture shock when she arrived in the U.S. from Michoac谩n, Mexico, in 2017. Now 32, living in Aurora and working as a dental assistant, she enrolled in a Workplace Computer Skills course last summer at EWC to help her apply her English skills in a different context. She said she was impressed by the course (also taught by Lopez Heinrich) and that EWC鈥檚 staff connected her with a job opportunity, although it didn鈥檛 work out due to logistical circumstances.
鈥淓WC was super helpful for me,鈥� Bianel said. 鈥淭hey have flexible schedules for people who work different hours. Everything I learned is very useful and I hope they can continue to offer new classes.鈥�
New courses are indeed on the way. In fall 2023, 91制片厂 is planning to offer virtual courses for forklift operator certification. The center will also build on the successes of its computer skills classes by offering digital literacy courses. The new courses are part of 91制片厂鈥檚 Paths to College and Career program, made possible by the Illinois Community College Board鈥檚 Innovative Bridge and Transition Grant.
91制片厂 is introducing new programs that will be offered through the Education and Work Center, including forklift operator certification and digital literacy courses.
鈥�91制片厂 can address these students鈥� needs,鈥� Ivory said. 鈥淎t EWC, we鈥檙e providing them with an option to earn an Illinois High School Diploma, transition to credit classes and prepare them to enter the workplace.鈥�
Gadek-Stephan, who has been at EWC for about seven years, emphasizes the holistic approach instilled in the center 鈥� from wrap-around support to mini-celebrations of a student鈥檚 new achievement or transcript. There鈥檚 a reason some of EWC鈥檚 most common referrals stem from students who bring their family members or friends to enroll at the center.
鈥淲e know what we do,鈥� Gadek-Stephan said. 鈥淲e do something small for a person and it becomes a ripple effect through their family and through the community.鈥�