Peoria Standard

Illinois Central College issued the following announcement on Oct. 26

Illinois Central College will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the college’s new Workforce Sustainability Center on Thursday, October 28 at 10 am. Remarks and the ceremonial “turning of the soil” will take place at the East Peoria Campus’ Performing Arts Center (PAC), due to expected rain. Visitors attending the groundbreaking ceremony should park in Lot C next to the PAC. All CDC guidelines will be observed for safety. Face masks are required. The ceremony will also be live-streamed on the College’s YouTube channel.

ICC’s new $12 million addition will be a centralized facility with state-of-the-art training and educational resources to help grow and maintain a more highly skilled workforce throughout Central Illinois.  

“In Greater Peoria, 60 percent of jobs require a credential past high school. Currently, only 40 percent of adults in the region have a post-secondary credential. This project is part of a statewide drive to raise the Illinois percentage of credentialed workforce to 60 percent by the year 2025,” said Illinois Central College President Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey. 

 The Center will be located near East Peoria Campus’ Dirksen Hall and house several highly sought-after and in-demand career programs such as Geothermal/HVAC, Truck Driving Training, Solar Installation, Highway Construction, and Manufacturing Training programs, as well as additional current and future credentialed programs.  

Contributors to the Center include the Barton Family, CEFCU, CORE Construction, Gilmore Foundation, John Graham & Associates, KMI Warehouses/Kriegsman Family, Pekin Insurance, Uftring Weston, and Wells Fargo. The Gilmore Foundation is encouraging others to give toward the campaign as it will match its pledge once ICC reaches $900,000 of its $1 million goal. Funding provided by the Federal EDA, State, and ICC has also helped make the project possible. 

First-time students, along with students seeking a career change, will benefit from the Workforce Sustainability Center. The Center will be a tremendous asset for our region’s economy to attract new investment, support, and growth with a ready and skilled talent pool for years to come.  

For more information on the Workforce Sustainability Center, visit icc.edu/wsc.

Original source can be found here.