CHICAGO – Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today announced a $250,000 Opportunity Returns workforce-training grant to three community colleges in the region - Heartland Community College, Illinois Central College and Parkland College - that will allow them to provide customized, employer-driven training to companies throughout Central Illinois. In total, the colleges will train nearly 2,500 employees from 75 participating companies in cutting-edge skills.
“For Illinois companies to compete and thrive in today’s global economy, they must be able to rely on a workforce that is ultra-flexible, efficient and productive. Working with companies on a one-to-one level and crafting customized training programs that meet their unique needs is the key to accomplishing that goal. Through this innovative partnership with our local community colleges, we’re reaching an unprecedented number of workers and improving opportunities for growth and prosperity at companies across Central Illinois,” Gov. Blagojevich said.
The grant to the three community colleges is being awarded through the Employer Training Investment Program (ETIP). ETIP is a new generation of employer-focused, customized training grants created through the “21st Century Jobs” Training Initiative. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) administers the ETIP grants, which reimburse companies and organizations for up to 50 percent of the costs of training their employees.
Heartland Community College will head up the three-college training consortium, which together will train companies across seventeen counties in Central Illinois, namely: Bureau, Champaign, Dewitt, Douglas, Ford, Iroquois, Livingston, Logan, Marshall, Mason, McLean, Piatt, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell, Woodford and Vermilion. Training will be focused in a variety of areas including: information technology, electronic media, quality and safety, and technical and workplace skills.
“I commend Gov. Blagojevich for investing in the economic health of the state through the Opportunity Returns program and for recognizing community colleges as the key delivery system of workforce training. This grant will allow Heartland to continue to serve the training needs of our region, particularly in advanced computer training and manufacturing. Ultimately, Opportunity Returns is vital to helping our region compete in the global economy,” Heartland Community College President Jonathan Astroth said.
“Gov. Blagojevich created the Employer Training and Investment Program based on the idea that employers best understand the needs of their own business. The skills that these nearly 2,500 workers will gain through this grant to the community college consortium are all employer driven. By continuing to invest in the skills of our workforce, we’re not only helping individual companies stay productive and competitive in the marketplace, but positioning the entire local economy for growth over the near and long term,” DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.
Heartland Community College provides residents and businesses with a broad range of educational programs responsive to individual and community needs. Illinois Central College provides occupational and vocational programs in business and industry, basic studies programs for students in need of acquiring skills for success, and continuing education programs for lifelong learning. Parkland College is a fully accredited public community college established to serve the needs of District 505, the 3rd largest community college in the district. The college has become a center for educational opportunity and community enrichment in East Central Illinois and has earned a national reputation for its excellent academic standards, innovative programs and quality instruction.
Gov. Blagojevich’s Opportunity Returns regional economic development strategy is the most aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Illinois’ history. Since a one-size-fits-all approach to economic development just doesn’t work, the Governor has divided the state into 10 regions – each with a regional team that is empowered and expected to rapidly respond to opportunities and challenges. Opportunity Returns is about tangible, specific actions to make each region more accessible, more marketable, more entrepreneurial and more attractive to businesses. It is about upgrading the skills of the local workforce, increasing the access to capital, opening new markets, improving infrastructure, and creating and retaining jobs. Opportunity Returns is about successfully partnering with companies and communities, both large and small, to help all of Illinois reach its economic potential.