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A group of students from VALEES
Welding students, judges and educators standing in a welding lab.
Students in white hard hats standing in front of a brick and concrete facade.

Leading the Way in Career and Technical Education

Articulated Credit Video 

Get involved in the VALEES region – Interest form for business and industry 

COVID-19 Impacted School Year Resources by CTE Area

The VALEES office is closed for the summer and will re-open for regular hours on August 9, 2021. Please submit articulated credit forms via email to Cassie Blickem at cblickem@waubonsee.edu.  

Over 50% of high school students in the VALEES region are enrolled in at least one Career and Technical Education (CTE) course. CTE programs engage students in rigorous, complex, problem-based learning experiences. Students in CTE courses build academic skills, develop technical work-based skills and knowledge, including critically important employability skills, and thoughtfully consider career pathways along their journey to their future careers. Over 60% of the jobs in the U.S. require workers with technical skills.

For Students & Parents

Career and Technical Education programs in high school lead to successful careers and high satisfaction in school. Learn more here.

Early college credit may be earned through articulated credit agreements by successfully completing an approved Career and Technical Education (CTE) high school course. Select the Early College Credit link for a listing of eligible high school and career center courses.

CTE roles are changing. There are many opportunities for women to start rewarding careers in fields once believed to be reserved for men only. If you are a young woman interested in entering a career field non-traditional by gender, please visit our Opportunities for Young Women page.

For Administrators

VALEES administers the Career and Technical Education Improvement (CTEI, state grant), Perkins (federal grant) and regional mini-grants. Select the grants link for grant guidelines, allocations, and application and reporting information.

Calendar of Events


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Welding students

Indian Valley Vocational Center Wins big at Annual Welding Students of the Year Competition

VALEES held the annual Welding Student of the Year Competition April 3, 2019. During the event, 52 regional welding students form Indian Valley Vocational Center (IVVC), Fox Valley Career Center (FVCC) and Oswego High School (OHS) competed for bragging rights and prizes generously donated by Weldstar.  The competition, held in the Welding department of Indian Valley Vocational Center (IVVC), challenged students to complete high quality welds in a short period of time. Students were ranked on their adherence to safety, quality and weld type. The results were as follows:

Congratulations to these amazing welders!

2019 Winning School: INDIAN VALLEY VOCATION CENTER

MIG

1st Jeremy Baranauskus FVCC (Geneva High School)

2nd Connor Watts, FVCC (Batavia High School)

3rd Austin Benson, IVVC (Serena High School)

OXY (Gas)

1st Kyle Kelty, Oswego High School

2nd Joshua Ramierez FVCC (West Aurora High School

3rd Hakeem Abdul Uddin, FVCC-(Kaneland High School)

STICK (Arc)

1st Tyler Bateman, IVVC (Somonauk high School)

2nd Carlos Valles, IVVC (Sandwich High School)

3rd Micheal Rodgers, FVCC (Kaneland High School)

TIG

1st Austin Fletcher, IVVC (Newark High School)

2nd Mitch Mikkelson, IVVC (Newark High School)

3rd Kyle Westfall, IVVC (Newark High School)

Connor Sigrist of Kaneland High School Named VALEES 2020 Graphics Student of the Year

Congratulations to the 2020 VALEES Graphic Student of the Year,
Connor Sigrist of Kaneland High School!

Connor, Pictured above with Fox Valley Career Center’s Graphic Communications teacher Nicole Larsen, displays his award certificate in front of his winning display.

This annual competition challenges students to design a brand campaign for a fictional client. Business Advisory partners interview each student, assess their portfolio, and rate their finished displays.  Connor’s display stood out from his competition. His attention to detail and ability to meet his “client’s” expectations impressed the judges and elevated his project to first place.

Learn more about the Graphics Student of the Year application process…

Kyle Konrad

Burgess Norton Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2018 Burgess-Norton Scholarships:

Kyle Konrad (pictured above with Burgess-Norton President Brett Vasseur) of Kaneland High School, received one of the two $2500 scholarships. Kyle plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Bradley University, Peoria, IL.

Blake Brokup of Waubonsie Valley High School (not pictured), also won a $2500 scholarship.
He plans to attend Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL.

The scholarships are designed to provide financial support for graduating high school seniors in the Valley Education for Employment (VALEES) region who wish to pursue their education in fields that relate to careers in the manufacturing industry.

Read more about the scholarship recipients…

Information about the BN scholarship…