Waubonsee Community College was recently awarded one of eight Illinois Skilled to Build grants in the amount of $50,000 from the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC). Waubonsee is matching with an additional $50,000 for a total project budget of $100,000.
“The goals of this grant and partnership are to pilot innovative programming with area manufacturers and employers to upskill their workforce and positively affect the retention of quality employees,” stated Adam Schauer, Dean for Adult and Workforce Education. “We also seek to increase exposure of the amazing career opportunities that exist in area manufacturing and highlight that these are ‘Life Affirming’ careers, and not just ‘Living Wage’ jobs!”
IMEC has positioned the Skilled to Build: Developing the Future Manufacturing Workforce grant opportunity to fund projects that will seek out innovative solutions for today’s manufacturing sector. Waubonsee’s project aims to develop a workplace literacy model that employers can use to upskill non-native English-speaking employees. This model will bring English Language Acquisition instruction on-site with the employer, and instruction will highlight specific processes and procedures that are unique to that manufacturer. For more information on IMEC’s programs and initiatives, visit their website at imec.org.
“The ability for us to contextualize industry-specific terms, safety protocols, and process jargon into the instruction of English Language Acquisition on-site with an employer is a great benefit for not only the employees, who are able to develop personally and professionally, but to employers who will hopefully see increased retention and recruitment opportunities,” detailed Schauer.
Participants will receive instruction on-site at their workplace facilitated by Waubonsee’s highly trained English language acquisition instructors. All materials needed for instruction are provided free of charge. Waubonsee’s district has a large pool of English language learners who offer a possible solution to the staffing needs of area employers as demographic data shows that unemployment tends to be higher in areas where English is not the primary language spoken.
The project's other priority is to provide individuals with limited work history an opportunity to explore all that the manufacturing sector has to offer through paid work experience. These micro-apprenticeships will introduce participants to the wide scope of career opportunities available through manufacturing by providing valuable on-the-job experience and industry exposure. These work opportunities are funded through the grant and will benefit employer partners by providing a temporary employee at no cost to them. At the end of the micro-apprenticeship period, the employer partner can hire the individual as a regular employee or move forward with a new placement.
Waubonsee and IMEC are committed to Illinois workforce education and development. “Industry/community college collaborations such as these are particularly exciting because all parties are working together to positively impact the workforce needs of our state,” says Suzanne Markin, Workforce Education Manager. “Workforce Education exists to meet the needs of area employers and prepare their workforce for the unique needs of their industry. Our ability to create customized training enhances the objectives of our community’s employers with the goal of realizing a fully engaged workforce.”
For more information about the Manufacturers Workplace Literacy program or to learn how Workforce Education can work for your business, contact Suzanne Markin, Workforce Education Manager by email at smarkin@waubonsee.edu or call (630) 906-4104.
