Southeastern Illinois College: Biofuels Program
Some may not be aware, but a biofuels program started at Southeastern Illinois College (SIC) back in 1979 through a program at the Vienna Correctional Center in Vienna, Illinois 1. Three years of research and development put an alcohol-powered engine in front of a Congressional Caucus review at the Illinois State Fair, then later on the front page of Fuel Alcohol USA 1. This led to the award of two grants that were used to further develop curricula 1.
Over thirty years later, SIC has revitalized its biofuels program. These courses led to the College’s participation in a $19 million Department of Labor (DOL) grant that included 17 Illinois community colleges. Under this Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program (TAACCCT), part of the Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN), SIC took the four existing online courses, added three additional courses, and created a total of five certificates and one associate in applied science degree program. With seven courses and two certificates available 100 percent online, the program has attracted students from across the nation. Under this program, 50 students have taken courses or earned a certificate. Many were already employed in the biofuels industry, but working to obtain credentials in the biofuels field. Ethanol Producer, a biofuels industry journal, has written about SIC’s program several times. Its articles reported the evolution of the college’s work to create online courses and convert those courses into interactive, competency-based learning programs. This new curricula will be at the forefront of the new biofuels training arena.
As the initial IGEN grant winds down, Southeastern is in the first year of another DOL TAACCCT grant. The Building Illinois’ Bio-economy (BIB) grant is managed by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) with three additional partner colleges in Illinois. The official kick-off for the BIB project was held on June 23 at SIUE’s National Corn to Ethanol Research Center. Under the leadership of Renee Loesche, SIC’s director of curriculum & training, and assisted by Ben Ross, program coordinator the BIB grant will take the courses and programs developed under IGEN to the next level using cutting-edge competency-based curriculum designed to provide industry training for the under- and unemployed. Through this endeavor, SIC, a partner with the SIU-E BIB consortium, plans to create a program with the potential for nationwide training of students and employees in the biofuels industry.
While the biofuels industry may seem unfamiliar to many, 10 percent of nearly every gallon at the pump contains ethanol 2. With breakthroughs occurring in biodiesel, biofuels industries are here to stay and need well-trained employees. One of the notable items of interest about the industry is the pay. Ethanol Producer Magazine has done several industry salary surveys over the past couple years and recently identified that only nine percent of employees made less than $40,000 while the top three percent made $200,000 or more per year 3. Most salaries fell between $40,000 and $149,000 with the largest majority of the 39 percent employed earning $60,000-$99,000 3. Even now, various plants and companies are watching this program develop and are expressing interest in training, as well as inquiring about SIC graduates as potential employees. For further information about biofuels and biodiesel courses and programs, contact Ben Ross at 618-252-5400, ext. 2248 or at benjamin.ross@sic.edu.
Sources:
1. Blair, B. (1982, March 1). The BETA engine in practice. FUEL Alcohol, 1 4-1 4.
2. EIA. (2015, July 17). Biofuels: Ethanol & Biodiesel Explained. Retrieved July 27, 2015, fromhttp://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=27&t=10
3. Schill, S. (2015, May 1). 2015 Ethanol Industry Salary and Satisfaction Survey. Ethanol Producer, 33.