Carol Leach is director of Peoria Educational Region for Employment and Career Training (PERFECT), where she’s worked for 10 years. She also teaches part time at Illinois Central College. She moved to the Peoria area to begin a teaching career at East Peoria Community High School.

Leach is a member of Illinois Association for Career and Technical Education (IACTE), Illinois Career and Technical Administrators (ICTA), Illinois Business Education Association (IBEA), the National Tech Prep Network (NTPN), and Women in Management. She’s presented at many conferences statewide and nationally concerning the changes in career and technical education in today’s schools.

Leach and her husband have two children.

Tell about your background, schools attended, family, etc.

I grew up in Cornell, a small town near Pontiac in Livingston County. My parents still live in that area, and I have a twin brother who lives in East Haven, Conn. I graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in business education. Upon graduation, I began my teaching career at East Peoria Community High School, which is what brought me to the Peoria area. My husband and I married, and we have two kids: a son, lead front end developer at Orbitz.com in Chicago, and a daughter, a business teacher at Limestone Community High School.

While they were growing up, I began teaching at Illinois Central College and still teach there part time today. About 10 years ago, I began working as a coordinator at Peoria Educational Region for Employment and Career Training (PERFECT). I received my master’s degree in educational administration from Western Illinois University and was named director eight years ago.

Who or what influenced you to become an educator?

My parents encouraged me to go on to college, and I decided to go into education. When I was in high school, I had a business teacher who suggested I pursue a degree in business.

Tell about PERFECT: its purpose, vision, programs, etc.

PERFECT is the education for employment office charged with administering and coordinating career and technical education (CTE) in the region. CTE areas include agriculture, business, family and consumer science, health, and industrial technology. The mission of PERFECT is to provide students with a foundation for lifelong learning with competency in critical thinking, decision making, communication, leadership, and technology. Goals include broadening the awareness of career and technical education; developing and formalizing partnerships with local business, industry, and labor; establishing career programs that emphasize a continuum of learning; and integrating high academics with career and technical education.

Career development opportunities available within the region include career curriculum materials, up-do-date equipment and software, career interest inventories, career pathways brochures, labor market information, and staff development workshops and classes. We also help schools with career-related activities such as career fairs, job shadowing experiences, reality days, and career speakers. Career events that we sponsor include Construction Industry Expo, Women in Construction Day, Teen Parent Summit, and a Middle School Career Day called "A Ticket to the Future." We also provide services to special needs students in the region. Publications available for use in elementary schools include a "Where Do People Work" coloring and activity book and "Exploring Career Options with Your Child" parent’s guide.

Has your position within PERFECT influenced how or what you teach at ICC?

One of the things I share with my ICC students is the major change in the job market in the past decade. I let them know with advanced technology and global competitiveness there are few good job opportunities for people who lack technical skills and career focus. That’s why many of them have enrolled at ICC to improve their skills so they can find a job or advance in their current position.

What changes in programming have you seen with technical training at the high school level?

In the past, high school vocational education courses were for kids who typically weren’t going to college. The reality today is most jobs require some kind of post-secondary training. Therefore, CTE is being redefined so students are trained to meet the same rigorous academic standards and graduation requirements. High-wage, high-skill jobs require high academic skills, as well as advanced technical training.

How does your organization work with the surrounding public school districts? Private schools?

The policy-making body of the region is the Board of Control, which consists of the school superintendents or their designees. As we consider activities and programs for the region, I bring them to the board for their approval. Our office serves as the liaison between the Illinois State Board of Education and the schools. We complete all data collection and do all of the reporting to the state. Private schools may access services from our office as well.

CTE funding is dependent on government grants. What’s the outlook for the 2004 school year?

State and federal funding for CTE for the 2003-2004 school year is at level funding. We’re very concerned about federal dollars for 2004-2005, which has been greatly reduced. We continue to meet with federal and state legislators to gain their support for CTE funding in the future.

Workforce Network has been highlighting the need for more skilled trades in our area. Do you collaborate with Workforce Network? What is PERFECT doing to improve the quality and number of skilled trades in our area?

I’m co-chair of the Youth Council, which is a committee of the Workforce Network. The Youth Council is a group of local workforce development providers who meet to eliminate duplication and expand youth education and employment opportunities. As a result of the "21st Century Workforce: Central Illinois" study conducted by Dr. Richard Judy, I’ve also been asked to co-chair Challenge #4, which is "to ensure the proper mix of education and training opportunities as well as counseling available." The implementation phase of the study is called Talent Force 21. I’ll meet with a committee to develop goals and activities, which will be reported back to the community next year.

To provide skilled trades workers in the area, we’ve developed a Manufacturing Skilled Trades Work-Based Learning Program in conjunction with Caterpillar Inc. For part of the school day, students attend training in an Integrated Systems Technology (IST) lab, which is moving to ICC North this summer. In addition to training in the lab, students complete an ICC math class and participate in job shadowing at local manufacturing facilities.

We also coordinate a Construction Industry Work-Based Learning Program in collaboration with the union construction industry. Students travel to various apprenticeship schools during the school year to learn about skills required in a specific trade. Advanced students are placed with a local contractor, where they complete an internship usually during their senior year.

Other work-based learning programs in the area include building services, criminal justice, culinary arts, graphic design, and health occupations. All of these work-based learning programs allow students to "try out" an occupation before they make a decision about what to do when they graduate from high school. High academic standards are required for all programs, and students must complete a selection process to be admitted.

What are the greatest challenges facing PERFECT in the next year? The next five years?

The challenge now and in the future continues to be funding. As schools continue to face major financial difficulty, the need for our CTE money and services from the PERFECT staff increases.

There’s been conflicting messages regarding an educator shortage in Illinois. Is there, or will there be, a shortage in the next five years? To what do you attribute this?

The educator workforce grew last year by the lowest rate in 10 years. The sluggish growth in the number of teachers and administrators was likely the increasing fiscal problems of school districts. Illinois public schools are staffed by an aging workforce, and retirements increase the demand for replacing teachers and administrators who choose to retire.

There’s a projected shortage, though, for CTE teachers statewide. Schools are finding it more difficult to find qualified teachers in their content area. If qualified teachers aren’t found, schools frequently just drop programs.

How can parents best guide their children’s career choices? School counselors? Businesses?

Parents can ask their children to think about what they like doing and where their natural talents lie. If their young person really likes to do something and also does it very well, that might be an occupation that they could consider.

They can also encourage them to get involved in programs that connect students with the workplace, such as work-based learning, internship, job shadowing, and co-op programs. Participating in these kinds of opportunities also helps students find jobs. These experiences are a win-win for both business and students. Students get a chance to see the business world and work in a career field gaining work experience, and employers have the opportunity to observe a potential employee’s skills and talents on the job.

Counselors can provide a variety of career-related activities and materials to their students. One example is career interest inventories, which offer youth insights into their personality traits, preferences, and strengths. We provide Kuder® Career Planning Systems to our schools, which can be accessed through the Internet, and measures interests, skills, and work values. Students are encouraged to consider a "career interest area" instead of a specific occupation. Career interest areas adopted by the State of Illinois are agriculture and natural resources, arts and communication, business and administrative services, health care, human and family services, and industrial and engineering technology.

The importance of business partners can’t be overstated. CTE is all about preparing students for the "real world," and business partners are an essential component of that system. Businesses can provide career speakers, job shadowing opportunities, tours of their facilities, and work experience for students.

The Second Annual Peoria Area Women in Construction Day took place March 4, with more than 55 freshman and sophomore students participating. How effective are career days such as this?

Peoria Area Women in Construction Day wasn’t created specifically to influence young women to choose construction as a career. Ultimately, every girl who participated in that event learned women earn approximately 76 cents for every dollar a man makes. Economic self-sufficiency and a fulfilling work environment can come from career opportunities not normally considered to be "women’s" work.

The two years we’ve hosted this event aren’t adequate to observe the long-term effects on our area’s workforce. We’ve seen significant changes in enrollment for the Construction Industry Work-Based Learning Program, however. In the 2001-2002 school year, there were no girls in the program. For the 2003-2004 school year, there are nine girls enrolled.

Women in Construction Day is one of several programs and events hosted by PERFECT that have been chosen by the Illinois State Board of Education to receive the "Connections Award of Distinction." Several of these innovative projects are now being duplicated in other areas throughout the state.

What are the "hot" careers chosen by high school seniors today?

Many students still choose traditional careers like engineering, teaching, medicine, law, firefighting, and nursing. The problem is many times they’re ill prepared to complete the coursework needed. The sooner young people make the connection between what they’re learning in school and how they can use it to build a career, the better the odds are that they’ll make a successful life for themselves.

What are the top 10 career needs today? What will be the top 10 career needs by employers in the next five years?

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fastest growing occupations, 2000-2010, are computer software engineers, applications; computer support specialists; computer software engineers, systems software; network and computer systems administrators; network systems and data communications analysts; desktop publishers; database administrators; personal and home care aides; computer systems analysts; and medical assistants.

According to Dr. Richard Judy’s study of the Peoria area, health services is a fast-growing industry. The industry already is the largest single employer in the region and has grown rapidly during the last quarter century. Other industries in which central Illinois may provide jobs include trucking and warehousing, financial services, fabricated metal products, and printing and publishing.

Have you heard positive feedback from area employers regarding PERFECT’s role in helping prepare technical employees?

Students who have participated in the work-based learning programs are better prepared to meet the challenges of post-secondary education and the workforce. Business representatives tell us the students are more focused and have a high degree of skill. Students see how what they learn in school applies to the real world of work. By participating in work-based learning, businesses also have an expanded pool of qualified applicants. Our challenge is to involve more students in these opportunities so they can enter post-secondary training without having to remediate.

We’re very encouraged by the support of the business community in the Peoria area. They understand economic development must be tied to workforce development. We look forward to working with additional businesses in the future as their need for trained workers grows.

What else would you like our readers to know about PERFECT?

I have a great staff that helps me provide services and events to regional schools and the community. Without their help and support, many of the things we do wouldn’t be possible. PERFECT will continue to provide a comprehensive career development system for all students. Through these opportunities, we know students who leave the secondary experiences with solid academic preparation, strong employability skills, and quality technical abilities will be ahead of peers who lack such a wide range of skills. TPW