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US DOL Invests $5.6 to Train Workers in Illinois

May 2nd, 2008 Posted by Amelia

Three Illinois worker training programs in Elgin, Peoria and Ina are the recipients of recent grants from the U.S. Department of Labor totaling $5.6 million.

Grants to train workers for the healthcare industry were awarded to Elgin Community College in Elgin, Illinois and the Peoria Workforce Development Department. The Elgin school received $1,988,958 while Peoria received a grant of $2 million.

The third grant, to train employees for the growing energy industry, went to Rend Lake College in Ina. This grant was for $1,622,155. The school recently received a separate $1.07 million grant from the state of Illinois to construct facilities for a mining technology program. Ina is a tiny town of just 2,455 people in south central Illinois. The school serves Jefferson County and the surrounding area.

Grant applicants work closely with local employers to provide skilled workers for higher paying jobs in growth industries where qualified employees are hard to find.

The Community Based Job Training Grants provides funds for community colleges and non-profit agencies to increase the capacity to train workers for positions in the local high growth industries.

The Training Grants help meet this need by providing funds to community colleges in the areas where these industries need help. The funds go to purchase updated equipment for training, to hire qualified faculty and to establish on-the-job training experiences. The local industries collaborate with the colleges to develop training curricula to give new and existing workers the skills to meet the industry needs.

Due to advances in technology, methods and procedures, many of these high demand industries have many more jobs open than they have qualified applicants to fill them. These industries include over 14 areas of the economy, such as Automotive, Energy, Hospitality, Transportation and Information Technology. These industries are currently experiencing growth or are projected to grow in the coming years.

To achieve this goal, the U. S. Department of Labor has formed strong relationships with business and industry. The Labor Department officials believe that these partnerships help boost local economies and ensure American’s competitive capability in the world market by helping Americans go to work.

Employers who invest in this Workforce Investment System gain more than just an addition to their Human Resources Department. The employers can boost profits, retain employees longer and cut recruiting costs. Also, tax credits and government training assistance are available to employers invested in the System. The programs provide referrals and screening for qualified candidates which not only fills jobs, but also increases the quality of the workforce.

The result is employees learn new skills which make them more marketable, earn higher wages, and increase eligibility for advancement. Employers get workers trained to meet their specific needs, which means increased quality of the workforce.

The competition was announced in August of 2007, and received 341 applications. The funds go to training facilities and community colleges to aid workers in competing for high-growth industry jobs.

“Preparing local residents for careers in growing hometown industries is critical to improving the quality of life of thousands of Americans,” said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Brent R. Orrell. “These programs will provide participants not only with the skills needed to gain employment, but the change to enter into careers that offer opportunities for advancement.”

The Community-Based Job Training Grants are aimed at areas where industries need skilled workers. The funds go to community colleges in these areas to help workers of all ages train for these skilled positions. Consider a cluster of nuclear plants in New Mexico. They need workers skilled in the energy field. A grant could be given to a local community college to train workers for those jobs.

Several factors have changed the workforce in the United States over the past few years. An aging workforce, globalization and technical innovations have put nationwide industries such as healthcare, energy and biotechnology in dire need of skilled employees.