CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced a first-of-its-kind program to expand manufacturing training opportunities for residents.
Through a $15 million investment, the state will establish two new manufacturing training academies.
The academies will expand opportunities for skills training, boost retention of manufacturers in downstate communities and attract more investment by manufacturing companies throughout the state.
“I’m proud to announce today that Illinois is dedicating $15 million to establish two downstate manufacturing training academies to address the shortage of skilled workers. We’re investing directly in communities and in companies with programs that will allow businesses to grow, retain and attract new talent for higher paying jobs of the future,” said Pritzker.
The $15 million Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) investment will be used to fund construction of new facilities to house two new academies in downstate Illinois.
The NOFO is seeking proposals from community colleges to provide training programs that will “equip students for an array of well-paying skilled manufacturing jobs that require specialized training.”
The manufacturing academies are part of the economic vision for growth and equity in the governor’s 5-year economic plan, according to a press release.
The academies will offer specialized training that is not widely available at downstate community colleges for high-demand manufacturing jobs like machinery mechanics and computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine operators and programmers.
Eligible applicants for the academies include community college districts or coalitions of community college districts in downstate Illinois, which includes all of Illinois outside of Cook and the collar counties.
“Manufacturing remains an important and growing industry for our state, and we are poised, with the right investments, to ensure more Illinoisans get the opportunities they need to train for these 21st century jobs," said Brian Durham, executive director of the Illinois Community College Board.
Watch the announcement in the video below:
