Mattoon, IL-(Effingham Radio)- Lake Land College has been a leader in career and technical workforce training for more than 55 years
February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month, and Illinois community colleges across the state are celebrating their valuable role in preparing the workforce for in-demand jobs. CTE programs offered at community colleges provide students with hands-on training and real-world experience in a variety of industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, and technology.
Lake Land College offers more than 100 career and technical majors in high demand fields. Students who graduate from these short-term and degree programs launch start their careers with little to no debt with life-sustaining wages.
In addition, Lake Land is proud to be working with many industry partners to grow highly skilled employees from within the community. The college has 12 registered apprenticeships this spring and in the past year the Center for Business and Industry served 1,840 students and 23 companies with customized training programs.
Through the Local Workforce Investment Area (LWIA) 23 and the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA), more than $1.5 million was invested in grant funds to directly support the Lake Land College communities through tuition and support services to students and on-the-job training for eligible individuals. LWIA 23 also funded four Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) projects, which allowed 78 local employees to gain additional skills resulting in a promotion and/or raise. The four IWT project contracts were with local employers: Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System, AgriFab, EvapCo and EJ Water.
Throughout the last several years the college invested nearly $2.4 million in innovative technical equipment that provides students with the opportunity to safely gain experience and fine-tune skills before working with real equipment.
Lake Land students can now explore a virtual cadaver, drive on the CDL simulator, provide patient care in a life-sized ambulance simulator and practice techniques with virtual welding equipment, to name a few.
“Knowledge empowers students to choose a CTE pathway that leads to a satisfying career and supports themselves and their families into the future,” Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said. “Career and technical jobs are often high tech, require critical thinking, utilize problem-solving skills and are lucrative, as well as satisfying.”
According to the National Skills Coalition nearly two-thirds of jobs in the U.S. economy are middle-skill jobs that require education beyond high school but not a four-year college degree. Many of these jobs are in CTE fields such as healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and IT which are among the fastest-growing occupations projected through 2029 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
CTE programs at Illinois community colleges offer a cost-effective way for individuals to pursue their career goals by costing a fraction of the tuition at four-year institutions, making it a more accessible option for many students.
“Illinois community colleges have a long history of working with local businesses and industries to provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in today’s workforce,” said Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Board Brian Durham. “CTE programs at community colleges are an essential part of our state’s workforce development strategy, and we are proud to be a part of preparing the next generation of workers.”
Statewide, nearly 36,000 students graduated from the more than 4,600 approved CTE certificate and degree programs offered by Illinois Community Colleges in 2022.
For more information about CTE programs offered at Lake Land College please visit lakelandcollege.edu.
Lake Land College District 517, located in Mattoon, Illinois, serves the second largest community college district in the state, with a total population of 189,869. The Lake Land College district comprises all or part of 15 counties and 31 public school districts in rural east central Illinois. Counties served by Lake Land College include: Christian, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Macon, Montgomery, Moultrie and Shelby.
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