This past June, WT Group held its third annual High School Shadow Program at the Hoffman Estates headquarters. What began as a pilot program in 2022, aimed at providing local high school students with hands-on shadowing experience in engineering, architecture, consulting, and construction, has already proven highly beneficial for both the students and WT Group.
New this year was our partnership with Alignment Collaborative for Education, an organization of business and community leaders working in conjunction with school districts U-46, 300, and 301 to deliver a qualified, future workforce within their communities. Students, including Raul Rodriguez (Hampshire High School) and Natalia Najjar (Bartlett High School), had the opportunity to rotate through all of WT Group's departments, which includes Accessibility Consulting, Land Survey, Aquatic Engineering, Civil Engineering, Design & Program Management (DPM), Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Telecommunication Engineering. As well as progressing through the Practice Areas, the students also had presentations and discussion regarding WT Group’s culture, Marketing initiatives, and Business Development strategies, providing them with an all-inclusive perspective about what it’s like working for our company.
While shadowing Civil Engineering, the students completed tasks like slope calculations and parking lot surveys. During their time with DPM, they attended a meeting where the store layout for a high-level project was finalized. MEP provided insights into the coordination of mechanical and plumbing systems and the intricacies of them working together, while the Structural team showcased how building concepts transferred to real life, further deepening their students’ understanding of the field.
Both students shared some surprises from the program. Natalia left the program with a clearer idea of her future in engineering and now feels more confident about what she wants to study as she explores the engineering path during her senior year. “I learned a lot more about the specific things done by each professional field helping me have a better idea of which one I want to pursue,” said Natalia. “I was surprised by how much more there is to learn beyond the general, broad concepts taught in school, including the nationwide reach of WT Group."
Meanwhile, Raul, who is currently a freshman at the University of Illinois Chicago, has aspirations of becoming an architect. “My favorite part of WT Group was shadowing DPM. The area is tailored to my interests and the information and projects I learned about furthered my knowledge of what I want to do after college.”
As they took the time to reflect on their shadow experience, both students appreciated how much they learned from the site visits and the importance of participating in them while simultaneously engaging in office experience. In fact, due to their initiative, drive, and engagement, both Raul and Natalia were asked to participate in the DPM department for an additional month to continue honing basic skills and gain real-world exposure. Because of this, they are looking forward to additional internship opportunities in the future.
WT Group continues to refine and expand the program, with 2024 applications now being accepted. Both the students and WT Group team members benefit from this shadow program. In addition to providing an inside look at our various team members’ responsibilities and an opportunity to share knowledge and experience, this program can prepare future leaders to play the same roles at WT Group as the team members they shadowed. This makes the program a valuable investment in the future – for the students, for WT Group and for the design, engineering and consulting profession as a whole.
For more information on the High School Shadow Program, contact Elise Stredney at estredney@wtgroup.com.
