The Two Rivers Career Fair 2019 was held March 5, 2020 at Illinois College. Two Rivers has sponsored the fair annually for the past 10 years. This year our region hosted fifty-two vendors from all over West Central Illinois. These vendors showcased careers that pertained to all sixteen career clusters. Hands on activities, contact materials, and career information was provided to over 500 students from 10 area schools. Each student had a card that eight vendors had to initial that he or she visited with them in order to enter into the drawing. The JHS Programs of Study provided $100 in Jacksonville Chamber Checks that were awarded in increments of $10 each to 10 students in a Raffle drawing. Director Reggie Clinton, Assistant Sarah Graham, Coordinator Sherri McLaughlin, and JHS staff have worked together to provide students with the opportunity to explore career options and learn about job duties while networking with professionals in the field. The Two Rivers Career Fair was a memorable educational experience.
On, February 22, 2019, the Two Rivers Office hosted our annual tour. Our office along with six school counselors toured the Memorial Center for Learning and Innovation Center located in Springfield. The Memorial Center for Learning and Innovation provides their employees, residents, and physicians the latest medical techniques to advance their skills to deliver the best possible care to their patients. The facility is equipped with four floors and around 72,000 square feet of state-of-the-art classrooms with the latest hands on learning instructional equipment. The facility is the home to all employee and leadership development courses. The center offers a variety of community educational opportunities. The facility hosts many degree and certification programs in connection with their academic partners.
At Memorial Center for Learning and Innovation, they are providing the education to develop Memorial’s future workforce. In partnership with SIU School of Medicine, the facility provides hands on healthcare education to high school and college students, community members, and Memorial employees who are interested in learning more about healthcare careers. The hands-on healthcare sessions are hosted monthly in partnership with SIU School of Medicine. The program is designed to allow the opportunity to engage with healthcare professionals in an interactive setting. The session will guide the participant through stations to provide an understanding of the responsibilities associated with each field of study. The session will outline the education and training needed for each particular field. The hands-on healthcare sessions are nursing, perioperative services, medical imaging, rehabilitation services (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and recreational therapy), medical education, laboratory sciences, and pharmacy.