The Kishwaukee Education Consortium (KEC) meets the vocational and alternative education needs for students in five area high schools and Executive Director Tom Crouch says they have a record enrollment of 545 this year. Students come from Sycamore, Dekalb, Genoa-Kingston, and Hiawatha school districts in DeKalb County plus Rochelle in Ogle County. Crouch, now in his 13th year at KEC, says their partnership with Kishwaukee Community College that offers dual credits is a key part of the interest in their 21 class offerings. This is the highest number of dual credit courses offered anywhere in the state. In addition, Crouch said their alternative education program has the highest success rate in the state achieving a 93% graduation mark.
KEC is based at Kishwaukee College just outside Malta where the college makes space for programs such as diesel mechanics, culinary arts, criminal justice, and emergency medical technician training. Crouch noted they also have several key satellite locations. For example, their popular aviation program uses DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport as an instructional site and their welding program recently got upgraded equipment with a move to the BCM Sycamore Industrial Park on California Avenue. Their barber and cosmetology training programs use satellite locations as well. Crouch said KEC is proud to create opportunities for students to explore areas of interest and choose a career path after high school graduation.
KEC is funded through state and federal grants plus tuition paid by participating schools for their students. Crouch noted they are not taxpayer funded. He said they are excited about expanding their social worker training program thanks to a $20-thousand grant from the DeKalb County Community Foundation. Crouch says KEC remains open to other partnerships that would have them expand their outreach. He noted that while all DeKalb County schools have access to a vocational center either through KEC or the Indian Valley Vocational Center in Sandwich, schools like Byron and Oregon do not. Crouch also said KEC will be assessing a career opportunity computer app that would let job openings be posted real time by employers as a way to further help students find employment after high school. Full details about KEC are available on their website at: www.KECprograms.com.