Pekin Community High School has long had a premier Career and Technical Education department that boasts more than 60 electives ranging from manufacturing/industrial arts to health care and childcare, construction and engineering, and informational technology and business. In addition to the amazing electives PCHS offers, the high school continues to implement critical programming and other initiatives that strengthen our ability to help our students, during their tenure, start to determine their pathway toward their future successful self while also helping them master their skills through both required and elective coursework and training on core soft skills needed as they enter the workforce. 

There is no one pathway that is better than another, and it is our job as current educators to truly educate our students as to “what” pathways are available to them and “how” they can best pursue them starting even as freshmen in high school. Our school counselors, in collaboration with our College and Career Advisor, work with each student to complete a four-year plan and to use our Schoolinks platform to learn more about themselves as it relates to what they may be interested in pursuing based on their interests, abilities, and goals. 

Whether their goal is a 4-year degree, a 2-year certificated program, a military career, or they want to head directly into a work placement, PCHS has the coursework and the programs that support all of those pathway options. Outside of the sheer number of electives we offer through the CTE department, we also offer Dual Credit classes across most of our departments that, when taken, provide college credit to our students heading to ICC or some other institutions. Students can also take Advanced Placement classes that also offer an avenue to college credit, especially if students attend higher educations institutions in the state of Illinois. And, both Dual Credit and Advanced Placement courses are at little to no cost to students saving them potentially thousands of dollars in the long run. 

Outside of coursework, PCHS started a program five years ago called Future Focus. We spend three days each school year helping students to focus on their futures by offering a variety of activities throughout the year. There is a Career Fair, where local business and industry partners come to PCHS to talk to students and pass long information/answer questions during our fall session. Early in the second semester we bring in career speakers, offer job shadow experiences, and business tours to allow students to hear first-hand from those in a variety of fields. And, late in the spring, we also host both a job and pathways fair in our gyms to again expose students to potential jobs, employers, and experiences. We want students to take advantage of these days to start to gain more insight into what they may want their future to look like. 

Another program that has continued to grow with the help of our Career and Community Liaison is our Work-Based Learning Program. Those students who have room in their schedule their senior year can pursue work-based experiences off-campus in internship positions, some of which are even paid, to really have the time to dig in and determine, while working, if their potential pathway is something that they want to continue to pursue post-graduation. What a great experience to have while still enrolled in high school. Just four years ago, we had 21 students enrolled in this program. Each year this number has continued to grow with close to 60 students taking advantage of these placements this past school year alone. We have placements at local car dealerships, senior care facilities, schools, health care facilities, industry partners and non-for-profit organizations just to name a few.

PCHS also continues to hone our ability to educate students on the soft skills, some call them core or essential skills that are needed in a school setting but will also be critical in their careers. The Core Four, we call them, of responsibility, work ethic, adaptability, and communication skills will be essential to their current success as Dragons but also to their future success as contributing members of society in the workforce.

Pekin Community High School’s mission statement is “In partnership with the community, we engage, prepare, and empower our students for a lifetime of success through diverse opportunities.” We hold ourselves accountable to this statement and live and breathe it every day in the work that we do for and with our students and community as a whole. Our goal is to graduate students who are College and Career Ready, and we wholeheartedly believe we have the coursework, programs and people to ensure that this is accomplished! Bring on the 2026-2027 school year!