The Apprentice Perspective

Ashley Sosa, a Project and Program Management Consultant with Allstate, knows how to “make it work.” Ashley was working in the non-profit sector and knew she wanted more, but wasn’t sure what more was. After getting an email about an apprenticeship opportunity with Allstate, she took a leap of faith and transitioned to Allstate—but she didn’t stop there. Ashley decided to get her bachelor’s and s...

Johana Caballero already worked at EduCare West DuPage when she decided to join their apprenticeship to reach her goal of getting her associate’s degree in early childhood. With her two sons, she had to figure out ways to make this new routine work for them. More importantly, Johana had to get comfortable with using the support of her mentors and her family, who were eager to help her on this journey. Now, she has her associa...

Patrick Hall didn’t know what he wanted to do when he was in college. He tried accounting before falling into a job with Joliet Junior College, and after almost a decade, he is now the Manager of Work-Based Learning and Outreach. Patrick describes his role as one that “fills his cup,” finding fulfillment in helping students navigate their early career experience. Patrick’s dedication and passion for his work...

Christina Harms, a union painter with Mid-Illinois Company, grew up around the trades. Her father was a union laborer and had been on jobsites since she was young, but recalls never seeing a woman on-site. After attending college twice, first for Early Childhood Education, allowing her to run her own day care and take care of her children when they were small, and later for Medical Billing and Coding, which led to an office job. Sh...

In this episode of The Apprentice Perspective, it’s Ambassador on Ambassador. Jarrod Gayheat, a Service Tech with Birkey’s, talks with Zack Thurman, A Precision Farming Specialist, with Birkey’s. Zack is a 2025 alumni of the Apprentice Ambassador program while Jarrod is a current Apprentice Ambassador. After graduating high school Jarrod worked for a couple different companies before eventually experiencing burnou...

Beril Mese, a second year Service Analyst apprentice at Allstate, originally studied music. She realized after graduating that the only path forward was academia and knew that wasn’t where she wanted to be. During her twenties she took a series of customer service jobs before pivoting to technology after teaching herself to code during the pandemic. She knew she was on the right path then but ran into a new problem: an oversa...

Revolution Workshop is a nonprofit out of Chicago that is truly living up to its name. It began as a way to help Black and Brown people, and in particular women, enter construction and earn family-sustaining wages. What they realized was the issue of unemployment for underserved Chicago communities went deeper than just trying to find a job. Many of the clients they worked with had the same hurdle–transportation. So, they set...

The WBLA Catalysts Initiative is an award bestowed by the Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship Committee of the IWIB to recognize excellence in work-based learning programming. 

Meet the inaugural winners of this award, Elgin Community College (ECC), represented by Dr. Gina De rosier-Cook, Dean of Workforce Development, and Elissa Kojzarek, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Experiential Learning (SPEL). They are joined b...

Gavin Carman, a Second Year Client Services Apprentice at Aon in Bannockburn, Illinois, spent a lot of time thinking while working as a delivery person. At 25, he knew the career path he was on wasn’t sustainable, but he had already tried schooling in a more traditional way. A Google search led him to an apprenticeship, where he found the opportunity he had been searching for, one where he could not only earn and learn at the...

Sania Kamani, a Second Year Apprentice in the Claims Admin Department at Zurich North America in Schaumburg, Illinois, set her sights on apprenticeship in high school. Though discouraged at first, through determination and drive she graduated high school with honors and entered the apprenticeship program, where she found community, mentorship, and gained experience. Kamani is a member of the 2026 Illinois Apprentice Ambassador coho...

John Williams, a Senior Analyst at Accenture in Chicago, had to convince his parents that he had a job when he joined a paid apprenticeship at age 19. Little did they know that this position would give him the training, mentorship, and camaraderie he needed to thrive. Williams is a member of the 2026 cohort of Illinois Apprentice Ambassadors. He is joined in conversation by Co-Chair of the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board (IWIB)...