The Illinois Eastern Community College district is being recognized for its work to provide educational opportunities within the field of manufacturing.
The Illinois Manufacturers' Association Education Foundation Thursday awarded the district 25-thousand dollars in scholarship funds.
Illinois Manufacturer's Association president and CEO Greg Baise says the manufacturing programs at these schools address the skills gap and prepare graduates to assume roles as operators and technicians in manufacturing.
"We have an aging population working in manufacturing. We are retiring somewhere in the neighborhood of nearly 30,000 production workers a year. There are just not skilled workers to fill those positions and the need is there."
He says policy makers and schools share the blame for the skills gap, but so do manufacturers, who have not pushed for more active educational programs.
"We've seen in high schools vocational education programs go by the way side. An example of just not as many kids that grow up on a farm and being able to learn how to weld and those kinds of things...welding a very basic skill in the manufacturing process."
The programs at Illinois Eastern Community Colleges cover several vocational aspects of the industry including industrial maintenance technology, welding and cutting, process technology and advanced manufacturing.
The manufacturing programs are offered through Wabash Valley College in Mt. Carmel, Olney Central College in Olney, and Lincoln Trail College in Robinson.
