As the 2025-26 school year draws to a close, Naperville School District 203 officials provided a year-end report on a program that helps foster workforce innovation and brings together a cross-section of people within the community.
The work of Naperville 203’s Workforce Innovation Council ramped up this school year, based on details shared at a board of education meeting Monday, May 18. Further growth is anticipated as officials begin turning their attention toward the 2026-27 school year.
“This is an area where we continue to grow and excel,” Superintendent Dan Bridges said in describing the council and its work to make connections between local industry leaders and the teaching within local school buildings.
Partnerships the backbone of program
A number of local companies, across a disparate number of industries, took part in the council this past school year. Naperville 203 officials hope to continue casting a wide net in the year ahead.
Jacque Clermont, director of community relations with Naperville 203, said the insights from outside the school walls have been valued as strategies and curricular decisions are made.
“The workforce innovation council is a collaborative partnership of leaders from the business industry, and higher education in our community, who work alongside Naperville 203 staff to help ensure students are prepared for college, career, and life,” Clermont said.
The council’s work, Clermont added, helps make job shadowing, internships, and other real-world experiences possible for students looking to explore a particular field.
“The council was created with a shared purpose, developed collectively by its members to ensure educational programs remain responsive to current economic and occupational needs through ongoing advisement and evaluation of district programming,” Clermont said.
As the council’s work has continued to grow and evolve, Naperville 203 officials have been in discussions with other aligned organizations. The Naperville Development Partnership, an organization focused on business growth and investment, is one such example.
“Through an update from the Naperville Development Partnership, we learned that companies across Naperville are seeking a skilled workforce, reinforcing the importance of aligning our work to real economic needs,” Andrea Szczepanski, lead principal of educational innovation and workforce development, said.
A look into the workforce numbers in the district
The district’s recent report on the Workforce Innovation Council included data related to ongoing efforts to college and career readiness pathways. A growing number of students have been pursuing specific industries, getting credits that carry over to a higher education institution.
The number of high schoolers classified as diploma endorsement earners has nearly doubled in the past four years, according to data shared in the report. In 2023, Naperville 203 reported 103 students earning diploma endorsements; this school year, the number increased to 200 students.
The growth in student participation in diploma endorsements coincides with an increase within the district of specific career pathways. In more recent years, EMTs, nursing, health sciences, and global and domestic policy have been introduced into the district’s workforce innovation program.
“We are moving beyond the idea that career readiness happens only in specific elective courses,” Szczepanski said. “Instead, we are working to design and embed college and career skill-building across all disciplines.”
Speaking to the increased participation, Szczepanski indicated “the data reflects the intentional work happening across our schools to build coherent pathway experiences that lead to endorsement attainment.”
Matt Langes, Naperville 203’s director of innovation and learning, said there are a number of initiatives planned in the upcoming school year to continue to grow the work of the council and workforce innovation. One example he cited during the report is the introduction of a student panel attached to the council.
“This is unique, because it will be hosted by our high school students, allowing them to directly engage with the leaders and understand future workforce needs and trends,” Langes said.
Naperville 203 also is actively seeking out agriculture and hospitality partnerships to continue building out the workforce innovation program.
“They are key sectors, where we want to grow our vocational and experiential learning footprint,” Langes said.
Board members laud collaborative work
Board member Kristine Gericke was a part of the council this year as an extension of her committee assignments. She lauded the group’s work for bringing real-world, current ideas into today’s Naperville 203 classrooms.
“There’s this nice little marriage,” Gericke said. “How do we prepare the kids for the workforce they’re going to go into — not what we think it is, or what we went into?”
She added, “The workforce has a horse in this race, too. They get to shape what they need. We have insight into what fields the kids have a high chance of getting jobs really quick.”
Board member Joseph Kozminski also offered up words of praise toward the council at the recent meeting.
“The growth has been really incredible,” Kozminski said. “There are just so many benefits to these programs. I’m just really impressed to where this has gone in the last seven years or so.”
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