EDUCATION
Kendall Youth Employment Program Young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who
are having a hard time finding a job because of one or more “barriers to employment” can find free help through the Kendall Youth Employment Program offered at the Grundy-Kendall Regional Office of Education, 109 W. Ridge St., Yorkville. Some of these barriers, according to Kim Elleby,
case manager, include disabilities, parenting or pregnancy, a need for a GED, homelessness or in the court system, having a language barier, or basic skill issues. “Te main purpose of the program is centered
around gaining job experience,” Elleby said.. “We do offer paid work experience. We subsidize a paid internship at different businesses that collaborate with us. When they go to work at one of these businesse, we pay them, usually for 12 weeks. It could be longer if they have a disability.” At the end of the 12 weeks, if there is a job opening
at their place of employment, and if the employer likes them, they are offered a job. “It’s happened quite a bit,” Elleby said. One of the learning experiences the program is
offering is a six-week culinary camp in the spring and fall, where students are taught about food safety, sanitation, the proper temperature for meat and food preparation under the guidance of a chef. It prepares the students for their food handlers’ certificate. Because it’s a federal program, offered through the
Workforce Innovation Opportuity Act, Elleby said they can accept young people from any county, “Tey just have to have one of the barriers,” she
said. “We have a lot of people who qualify because they are high school drop outs. We’ve had kids in foster care apply.” At the beginning of 2022, the program had about
Kim Elleby, case manager, left, and Laura Stransky, far right, program coordinator, look on as students Zach Kimbrough and Isaiah Sakwa get instruction on professional cooking skills from Chef Rachel Conover during a culinary camp class held in March.
Photo by Paul E. Burd Photography
40 young people enrolled. “Our case load has gone down because of Covid,”
Elleby said. “Covid has been difficult.” A former coach at Oswego High School, Elleby
has been with the program for the past three years. Te program’s coordinator, Laura Stransky, has been involved for 12 years.
“Both of us split the case load,” Elleby said. “We are in contact with the local school districts. We go out once a year to different work sites. We get calls from people who are looking for employees.” For more information on the program, visit the
website at
kendallyouthemploymentprogram.com. Te office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or call 630-553-4175.
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