St. Clair County WIOA Youth Program

04/16/2026

03/26/2026

✨Meet David Harris✨

David’s journey hasn’t always been easy—but it’s been powerful.

Early in his career, David struggled to balance school and work, often moving from job to job without finding the stability or purpose he was searching for. After graduating high school, he knew he wanted more—and that’s when he made the decision to join the WIOA Youth Program.

For David, this wasn’t just a program—it was a fresh start. With David’s commitment and WIOA funding, he was able to obtain his Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Then he stepped into On-the-Job Training with the St. Clair County Highway Department, bringing focus and determination from day one.

Since then, David has:

✔️Secured stable employment
✔️Began working towards his spray license ✔️Purchased a new car
✔️Built confidence and a more positive outlook on his future

David’s story is a true testament to determination, growth, and believing in your potential. We’re proud to be part of his journey and excited to see what’s next! 🚧✨

Aside from Commercial Driver’s License training, our program also offers eligible participants opportunities in Architecture & Construction, Business Management & Administration, Education & Training, Health Science, Human Services, Manufacturing, and more!

02/26/2026

✨Paid Work Experience Success Story! ✨

If you have visited Sugar High in Belleville, IL, you might have seen one of our participants, Ashley Maldonado Wiley! Ashley recently completed her Paid Work Experience at Sugar High and is now a permanent employee. Our Paid Work Experience Program is designed to help eligible youth gain some real-world work experience. It strengthens soft skills including timeliness, appropriate dress, how to interact with the public etc. When we place participants at worksites, the business is not obliged to hire them after they complete their Paid Work Experience hours. We love it however when employers say YES to our participants and keep them as long term employees.

Ashley’s supervisor, Amber Weiss, had this to say about Ashley’s time in Paid Work Experience:

“Ashley joined Sugar High through the paid work experience program in October 2025. Ashley’s daily tasks were baking, decorating and preparing treats for customers. Ashley was always willing to learn other tasks such as customer service, being a barista, or just giving a lending hand. She excelled quickly. She has been an asset to my team. She truly helps take some pressure off of everything I need to get done! We have hired Ashley to continue on our payroll and absolutely love having her on our Sugar High team! “

We are so grateful for Amber and Chris for opening up their business to help Ashley gain meaningful and valuable work experience!

Thank you so much Amber and Chris!

02/03/2026

Meet Rashaad Roberson!

Rashaad is one of our newest Out of School WIOA participants and recent 160 Driving Academy graduate! Rashaad joined our program in October 2025 and has been achieving major milestones in the short amount of time he has been with us. He obtained his Class A Commercial Driver's License (CDL) in December 2025. When looking for employment following his graduation, Rashaad's Career Specialist presented a work-based learning opportunity called On-the-Job Training at the St. Clair County Highway Department. Rashaad then successfully interviewed with the Highway Department's team early January and just finished his first week and a half on the job! Although Rashaad's employment journey just started, we know he is going to do great. Our program currently has 3 participants enrolled in On-the-Job Training with the St. Clair County Highway Department and we are very proud of every single one of them!

11/11/2025

10/07/2025

01/22/2025

Project Homeless Connect is happening tomorrow. Please share with anyone that may have a need.

09/13/2024

Hey everyone! We have a full-time position open as a Career Specialist for the St. Clair County WIOA Youth Program. You would be working with youth and young adults ages 16-24 years old assisting them with finding employment and training, as well assisting them in completing their education. We are team oriented and strive to preserve a supportive work environment. Pay is competitive with great benefits. If you are interested in applying, the link is listed below:

https://stclaircountyil.mua.hrdepartment.com/hr/ats/Posting/view/484

We look forward to adding a new member to our team!

03/05/2024

Red Bud Industries will be hosting a Manufacturing Night Tuesday March 5th. This looks like a good opportunity to learn about not only manufacturing positions but also educational and apprenticeship opportunities. Red Bud Industries is one of the businesses we work with through our five county Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) program. The Grants Department, through an agreement with the Chief Elected Officials of Clinton, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair, and Washington Counties, administers services designed to ensure area employers have a skilled and ready workforce available to them at all times. These services include but are not limited to, classroom training, on the job training, apprenticeships, and incumbent worker training. WIOA programs are governed by the Mid America Workforce Investment Board which is comprised of local government agencies as well as area business and labor leaders. We are fortunate to have so many forward thinking leaders supporting these services.