An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Oct. 28, 2021

ChalleNGe Academy initiative gives cadets job skills

By Illinois National Guard

RANTOUL, Ill. – Lincoln's ChalleNGe Academy is reaching beyond academics and offering its cadets vocational job skills and certifications that can help put them on the path to a bright future.

"For nearly 30 years, LCA has helped develop young men and women to be a better version of themselves with a focus on education and discipline," said LCA Director Michael Haerr of Eureka. "And while we stay true to that, LCA is a life-skills program, not just a place to get a GED. If we can provide the skills and training they need to find employment and future careers, we can make a greater impact on who they can become."

Candy Arnold, LCA's placement department supervisor, said the workforce initiative provides cadets with training that helps them find employment and exposes them to different careers. The academy has been working with community partners such as Parkland College and GAF Roofing Academy to train and certify cadets in food handling, forklift operating, roofing and welding.

The LCA program is administered by the Illinois National Guard for Illinois youth ages 16-18 who have dropped out of high school. It begins with a five-month residential life-skills program in a quasi-military environment on the academy's campus on the former Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul. A year-long mentoring program follows the residential phase. 

This past week, five cadets with LCA's Class 56-21 attended the last of five Introduction to Welding classes at Parkland's Applied Technology Center in Champaign. Of the approximately 90 cadets graduating from the academy's residential phase Oct. 30, 20 will be starting employment in their communities using the tools and skills learned during their time as cadets in the academy.

Arnold said LCA plans to provide training for prospective certified nursing assistants; more advanced thermo-compressive welding; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; vehicle operation and more.

"We are continuing to expand what we offer. This gives cadets more ways to prosper once they complete the program," said Arnold. "The academy is a stepping-stone. We want to do everything we can to get them ready for their futures and help them find their career paths."

Arnold's department helps cadets in the residential program find jobs, develop life plans, and explore career and secondary education paths. The department also teaches financial literacy and interview skills and helps cadets develop resumes. Placement also tracks the education and career achievement of graduates during the one-year post-residential program.

"Even within the last few classes since the workforce initiative officially started, we have seen past cadets finding employment in the different trades and skilled labor," Arnold said. "Being able to provide job skills training, both soft and hands-on, makes our cadets better suited for the workforce."

Arnold said the GAF roofing class is one of the most popular vocational electives. Right now, roofers typically earn a starting wage of more than $19 per hour.

"GAF Roofing Academy has been amazing to work with," said Arnold. "Most of it is all hands-on, and the cadets get to see what they can accomplish. They learn so much about roofing and receive a certification through GAF that makes them job-ready for a roofing company. We have several cadets who are looking into related fields and careers after attending the roofing training."

While the academy still helps its cadets acquire a GED, it is also providing a path back to high school for several cadets by helping them recover high school credits lost when they dropped out. Seven cadets recovered enough credits to return to high school this month. One cadet recovered enough credits to earn her high school diploma from Urbana's Regional Board of Education District 7.

"We are helping our cadets find their inner strength and a path to success that works for them," Haerr said. "That might be the additional opportunities offered by a GED, it might be earning a high school diploma or it might be learning some valuable vocational job skills. This program is all about helping these young men and women find a path that works for them and helping them stay on that path. We believe in second chances."  
 

 

 

Related Articles
Lincoln's ChalleNGe Academy graduate Nickolas McCauley delivers the class summary during graduation ceremonies June 10, 2023, in Springfield, Ill. The Illinois National Guard program  July 1993 on the former Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, has helped 16,000 struggling young men and women find a path to success.
Illinois Guard's ChalleNGe Academy Graduates 16,000th Cadet
By Lt. Col. Bradford Leighton, | June 12, 2023
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Illinois National Guard Lincoln’s ChalleNGe Class 59-23 had many accomplishments when its more than 90 cadets graduated June 10.The class recovered 277 and a half credit hours, awarded seven high...

U.S. Army soldiers, assigned to Task Force Associator, work with members from the Djiboutian Coast Guard to preform squad movement and battle drills during Bull Shark 25-1 at Garde-Côtes Djiboutienne GCD, Djibouti, Nov. 4, 2024.  Bull shark is designed to conduct training and knowledge exchanges with our foreign partners. by Staff Sgt. Ivan Mendez- Roman)
Pennsylvania Guard Soldiers Mobilize to Horn of Africa
By Staff Sgt. Ivan Mendez-Roman, | April 3, 2025
CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – Task Force Associator, headquartered by Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion 111th Infantry Regiment, transferred authority to Task Force Paxton, an adjacent battalion from Pennsylvania,...

U.S. and Polish military personnel gather at 1 Baza Lotnictwa Transportowego (1st Airlift Base) in Warsaw, Poland, highlighting continued collaboration in enhancing NATO interoperability. The Illinois National Guard and Poland have been partners in the State Partnership Program since its inception in 1993.
US, Polish Partners Strengthen Interoperability, Modernization
By 2nd Lt. Trenton Fouche, | March 10, 2025
WARSAW, Poland - About 75 U.S. and Polish Armed Forces personnel strengthened NATO interoperability and defense modernization during a military-to-military workshop Feb. 24-25. Brig. Gen. Michael Eastridge, deputy assistant...