Austin Polytechnical Academy (APA) was established in 2007 by the Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council (CMRC), a strategic partnership of business, labor, government, education, and community leaders working to make Chicago the global leader in advanced manufacturing. The Center for Labor & Community Research (CLCR) serves as the fiscal and operational sponsor for the Renaissance Council and APA's Manufacturing & Engineering Career Program.
About our school:
Located on Chicago's West Side, Austin Polytech is a college and career prep high school focused on manufacturing and engineering. APA's mission is to prepare students for leadership at all levels of advanced manufacturing, from skilled production and engineering to management and ownership. The school's rigorous, STEM-focused curriculum includes AP Calculus and PLTW pre-engineering courses.
What we do:
Thanks to partnerships with over 65 local manufacturers, Austin Polytech students have access to a variety of work-based learning opportunities. In the 2010-11 school year, APA's Manufacturing & Engineering Career Program achieved the following results:
Field Trips: 277 students went on field trips to manufacturing companies or industry trade shows
Job Shadowing: 43 students participated in job shadowing, spending the day at a manufacturing company learning about a range of careers first-hand
Internships: 42 students completed paid internships or summer jobs in manufacturing
Credentials: 89 students earned 125 industry-recognized machining certifications from the National Institute of Metalworking (NIMS)
Austin Polytech is now the only NIMS-accredited high school machining program in Illinois.
