NEW INTERNSHIP PROGRAM FOR ADULT STUDENTS

Centro Romero recently renovated our adult learning center, but we also wanted to help students in our adult education program to engage in learning opportunities outside of the classroom. So, we started a new endeavor: creating an internship program that matches students with local businesses and organizations.

Our students have skills and interests in a variety of sectors, from business to education to the culinary field. Many students have had educational and professional experience in their home countries and our internship program will allow them to share those experiences with employers in a new country and in new fields.

We have already implemented an internship pilot program. One Centro Romero student, Mary, is interning three days a week with Hel’s Kitchen, a catering company in Northbrook. By the end of the five week program, Mary will have cycled through all areas of the company including the kitchen, the delivery and operations sector, the field team, and the administrative office.

Mary and the Hel’s Kitchen team are learning a lot from each other and are excited to see where the remainder of the program takes them. The pilot program has been so successful that we are already in the process of finding another student with interest in the culinary field to participate in the program once Mary has graduated from it.  Centro Romero plans to maintain this partnership for a long time to come.

We’re excited for as many students as possible to have the opportunity to gain concrete experience they can put on their resumes as they move forward in their careers, to develop networking connections and references, and to learn from professionals firsthand. We’re also thrilled to form partnerships with more businesses and in more fields, from the non-profit world to the financial sector and beyond.

If you have any connections with businesses and organizations that are passionate about supporting immigrants, refugees, and adult learners with their professional development– Centro Romero would love to hear from you!