Explore Class Registration Open for 2024
(Effingham, Ill. 11/06/2023) – Registration is now open for the Explore ERCA class for Spring 2024. This
program introduces area high school students to business owners and leaders throughout Effingham
County while teaching students valuable employability skills.
The Explore Class is is a single semester course designed to introduce students to local career
opportunities in Agriculture, Healthcare, Information Technology, Manufacturing, and Transportation.
The class follows a format of six weeks in a business setting learning more in-depth about professions
and what those businesses do. During the last half of the semester, students spend class time alongside
business professionals in one of the occupational areas that interest them the most. Students can
register for the Spring Semester at bit.ly/ExploreERCA – Sign up today!
The Explore ERCA class is the first phase of The Effingham Regional Career Academy, which continues to
make progress toward the launch of full program implementation in August, 2024. Through a strategic
partnership with Lake Land College, ERCA classes will be housed in the new Lake Land College Effingham
Technology Center.
High school counselors in the 14 partner schools will begin the registration process shortly. Remodeling
of the new Lake Land facility in Effingham has begun with installation of fiber needed to support the
virtual technology that will set the ETC and ERCA at the forefront of Career and Technical Education.
ERCA committees are also making plans for the second generation of coursework to be offered as early
as the Fall 2025 to meet the projected employment and skill needs in the Effingham area with data
provided by our WIOA, CBI and area business partners.
Effingham Regional Career Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization that oversees the operation of the
Effingham Regional Career Academy. Serving communities and 14 school districts in Clay, Cumberland,
Effingham, Fayette, Jasper and Shelby counties, ERCA offers focused curriculum and advanced, hands-on
training that allows high school students and current professionals to gain hands-on education. The goal
is to provide the region with well-educated and trained individuals who are able to work in their field of
choice without moving away.
ERCA is available through partnerships with regional businesses, communities and schools, including
Lake Land College. For more details, visit https://www.eiefes.k12.il.us/regional-programs/erca
