Committed to the Canton community: Cook and Spoon River College honored by ICCTA

On June 1, Cook Canton received a Business/Industry Award from the Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA) for their partnership with Spoon River College (SRC), which dates back to before the Cook facility opened for business in August 2010.

The partnership started with the SRC’s willingness to assist with the testing and the application process for the first Canton employees by collecting and sending hundreds of applications to Human Resources at Park 48. The alliance continued to grow as they opened the doors of their facilities to allow space for Cook to interview candidates in Canton.

The first 30 employees were hired and sent to Bloomington for eight weeks for training. It was a huge commitment for those first team members to make. It was a lot of time away, a lot of work, but there was a lot of fun, too. However, when the training was near completion for Canton’s production team, Cook Canton’s building was not quite ready! The Facilities team working in Canton needed an additional week to get everything ready to go.

Everyone was excited to be almost finished with their training that had taken them away from their loved ones for eight weeks. Cook leadership felt we could not ask them to stay any longer in Bloomington, so we were faced with a big challenge. We needed to fill an entire week in Canton without a building we could occupy!

SRC came to our rescue. They graciously allowed us to use their campus and, when they did not have available space, the college helped us secure a training area in a local church. A week of classroom learning that included a 10-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) course, took place without issue.

From there, the partnership with SRC has continued to grow.  It has developed into a wonderful asset not only to Cook as a company, but to our entire workforce. Today Cook Inc.-Canton, Canton Harvester Inn, and Cook Polymer Technologies-Canton all work closely with SRC.

The pre-employment testing facilitated by SRC helps Cook hire qualified team members. In addition, the college has provided special training for the Cook team, including a Lean manufacturing course. The most recent example of the benefit of our partnership for Cook is the work that SRC is doing to help provide computer skills training needed as the company moves towards a digital process for documentation.

Cook Canton has worked with SRC to develop a My Cook Pathway program like the one provided by Ivy Tech in Indiana. My Cook Pathway utilizes classes offered at SRC and allows Cook employees to take courses that will enhance their opportunity for advancement through furthering their education. Cook chose SRC as the primary focus for this program. The choice was made because of the quality of education available, the reasonable cost of education at SRC, the flexibility that online and evening classes provide our employees, and the location of the main campus. In addition, 96% of Cook Canton employees reside in the SRC district.

We are humbled and honored to receive the Illinois Community College Trustees Association 2018 Business/Industry Partnership Award with Spoon River College and look forward to a bright future in Canton.

It is hard to put a value on the partnership. From pre-employment testing to continuing education opportunities, SRC provides Cook with quality services. The focus of both SRC and Cook is to do whatever we can to make our community a good place to work and learn.

Below, two Cook Canton employees talk about how they have been able to further their education at SRC using the My Cook Pathway program.

Rebekah Gilmore (Receptionist in HR)

“For me, My Cook Pathway has opened a lot of doors. I was a young mother and couldn’t go to college because I had a houseful of kids. Even now, I wouldn’t be able to afford to do it on my own because I’m still paying for my kids’ college! The opportunity has built my confidence, helped me grow within Cook. I’ve learned to communicate better and I’ve come out of my shell! I’m working towards a business degree with a human resources certificate. I’m hoping to utilize my education within Cook. I’m appreciative of the opportunity to continue my education and to continue to learn from my coworkers here at Cook. Spoon River College has provided me with quality education, and the staff there have worked hard to make sure I’m finding the classes I need to meet my goals. My teachers have been encouraging and supportive as I work towards my goals.”

Donna Strode (Assembler in Packaging)

“I feel it is very rewarding to be able to further my education at SRC. I am working towards a business degree. It is wonderful to be in a program where you are not expected to take a heavy load of classes and to not be expected to finish within a specific time frame. I can fit my classes to my life. I have earned two certificates so far as I work toward my associate’s degree now. After the fall session, I have only five classes to go to earn my degree. Taking classes has taught me time management, organizational skills, and has made me more respectful of the opportunities that Cook has provided me. This includes the opportunity to go to school and the opportunity to grow with the company.”