Bryan De La Rosa started fixing up cars in high school. He took an automotive class at Jefferson High School in Rockford, where he just graduated.
Before graduation, he found a flier at school for Rock Valley College’s collision repair course which, instead of a full four years of college, takes just 16 weeks.
“That's what I was also looking for," he said, "because four years going to college is a little long.”
More than halfway into the program, De La Rosa has already started an apprenticeship at an auto body shop in Belvidere. And, once the class is done, he’s staying on to work there.
“They have actually already spoken to me about it," he said. "They're like, ‘Would you like to stay after the program?’”
As good as all of that sounds, one of the biggest reasons De La Rosa chose Rock Valley is because this course was, well, free. He received a grant covering his tuition through the college’s Trade Review and Career Exploration or TRACE program.
For the past two years, with funding from the Illinois Community College Board, Rock Valley has given out hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of these grants. They’re designed to help the community meet workforce needs through targeted, typically short-term training in auto collision repair, forklifting, truck driving and massage therapy.
Ryan Russell helps recruit students and run TRACE at Rock Valley.
“Every single program that we have, we're paying the complete tuition. Some programs are getting stipends,” he said. “Our auto body collision repair guys, we've started adding stipends in for the first eight weeks. You're gonna get $200 a week as long as you show up every day. They have the opportunity to make $1,600 just by showing up.”
He says these trades are in high-demand and, normally, this training would cost a lot of money.
“Massage therapy: $11,000. Auto body collision repair: $5,500. Truck driver training: $5,000. Forklifting: $700,” said Russell. “Who has $11,000 to fork out of their pocket on a random whim? And if you're not, what are you doing? You're taking out loans.”
It’s even harder for many students, because some technical training programs aren’t eligible for federal financial aid.
The program primarily serves students from 16-24 years old, with many, like De La Rosa, coming straight out of high school. That’s not always the case, though.
Delaney Ostrowsky is a massage therapy student. She already has a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University. She works at a physical therapy clinic and her original goal was to go to grad school for PT, but decided against it, in part, because it would have taken years and another $75,000.
“That's still a very scary number," said Ostrowsky, "but I did know that I wanted to help someone in some way.”
Then a friend told her about RVC’s massage therapy program. She could use her physical therapy knowledge and skills and take the classes while still balancing her three part-time jobs.
She says it’s very hands-on, which she loves, and, again, wouldn’t take three years to finish.
“It's just so nice," she said, "to accept that, ‘Hey, I'm in this role and, in a year, I'm going to be out there doing this to other people.’”
Training takes a year for massage therapy, but other courses are much shorter. 16 weeks for auto collision, and, Russell says, forklift training is way shorter.
“Getting them in something for three days, like forklifting," she said. "I have students that have made upwards of $23 to $25 an hour within a week.”
Russell can’t guarantee you a job when you’re done, though.
“I think that was something I learned in the beginning," he said. "I can't promise that you're going to show up to the interview, and I can't promise that you're not going to act ridiculous in the interview, but if I can promise at least an interview chance, I think that's a very good step in the right direction."
For younger, high school students, they hold a summer event with local labor unions to introduce them to the trades and also earn a stipend for coming.
Last year, 85 students received TRACE grants -- 20 of which were those high schoolers -- and interest is growing this year.
And, as the program continues, Russell’s trying to build more community partnerships, so students have more apprenticeship opportunities. He also wants to make sure students have enough support while they’re at Rock Valley. That includes an advisor to help them find jobs, polish their resume, and build a sense of belonging at the college.
He says applications are open year-round on Rock Valley’s website.
