Workforce Development

GRANTS & INITIATIVES | EMPLOYER RESOURCES | ASSOCIATIONS & PARTNERS | APPRENTICESHIPS | RESOURCES

Illinois’ economic and workforce success depends on an educated, skilled workforce that can quickly adapt to changes. Workforce development focuses on addressing employer needs through workforce training opportunities often provided by the noncredit function of the community college.

Goal 2 – To support a seamless transition for students into and through postsecondary education and the workforce by fostering the development of robust career pathways aligned to the needs of business and industry, strong engagement at all levels of the community college system, and with a focus on meeting students where they begin their educational journey, resulting in equitable access and outcomes for all students. 

Goal 3 – To contribute to economic development by supporting the Illinois community college system’s effort to provide high-quality, dynamic workforce training opportunities that build essential skills for high-value work through apprenticeships, work-based learning opportunities, and competency-based instructional models that result in equitable economic mobility through increased credential attainment.

Workforce development is a broad term that describes the programs, policies, and activities that help people improve their skills and career options. It’s a key part of economic development and focuses on people rather than businesses.

Workforce development can include:

Training and education: Providing access to training and education to help people contribute to society

Career services: Helping people improve their earning potential and career options

Certifications and licensure: Helping people obtain industry-relevant certifications or licensure

Maximizing employee potential: Helping employees handle problems and feel valued and trusted

Grants & Initiatives

Noncredit Workforce Training Initiative (NWTI)

OVERVIEW

The ICCB provides $105,000 in funding to each community college that applies to support noncredit training and business solution initiatives. Noncredit workforce training is defined as training, not tied to college credit hours, that results in short-term certificates, industry-recognized certification, or other occupational credentials and excludes developmental education, youth programs, community enrichment, adult education, and English language acquisition. Additionally, noncredit workforce training does encompass vocational skills courses (PCS 1.6), if that course or set of courses culminates in a certificate, industry-recognized certification, or other occupational credential.

The Illinois Community College System is the largest workforce training provider in the state. Illinois community colleges worked with nearly 9,800 unique employers in 2020 contributing an estimated $3.5 billion in economic outputs, captured through the most recent Economic Impact Study¹. Although noncredit enrollment has not yet reached pre-pandemic figures, enrollment in FY2023 climbed just over 9 percent from the previous fiscal year with 116,544 unduplicated enrollments². Of those, 34,000 were enrolled through business and industry contracts or professional/vocational development programs. This grant aims to build the capacity and impact of noncredit workforce training in Illinois community colleges aligning to one of ICCB’s strategic goals:

Goal 3: Contribute to economic and workforce development by supporting the Illinois community college system’s effort to provide high-quality, dynamic workforce training opportunities that build essential skills for high-value work through apprenticeships, work- based learning opportunities, and competency-based instructional models that result in economic mobility through increased credential attainment.

Noncredit training is one of many community college functions, allowing the college to be nimble and swift to respond to employer needs. However, noncredit workforce training is not financial aid eligible, and there are limited state and federal funds that support this function. The need for funding to meet the growing demand for noncredit training has increased as costs for employers, students, and employees have grown. This dedicated funding aims to support community colleges in expanding their noncredit offerings and exploring and implementing innovative solutions to workforce challenges.

GRANT OBJECTIVES

Expand Noncredit Program Offerings: Colleges should aim to prioritize significantly in- demand and emerging occupations for programming built, expanded, or supported through this grant.

Offer Business Solutions to Employers: In addition to customized training, community colleges offer a suite of business solutions to employers. Examples of business solutions include quality and safety audits; training workshops relevant to leadership, essential employability skills, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access; contract procurement assistance, etc. Colleges should prioritize small businesses (500 employees or less) as well as minority or woman- owned businesses for these business solutions. Colleges may expand the number of employers they offer business solutions to and/or provide additional services as a result of these grant funds.

Increase Affordability of Noncredit Training for Students, particularly those who are low- income, un- or underemployed, and or otherwise underrepresented in the sector in which training is be offered. Activities may include offsetting costs of training, creating noncredit apprenticeship programs, and increasing efficiencies to sustain affordability.

Behind Every Employer (BEE)

The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) is leading efforts for the Noncredit Workforce Training Initiative, partnering with Community College Noncredit Workforce Programs and Adult Education Providers, which has four key objectives including:

the expansion of noncredit program offerings,
increasing affordability of noncredit training for students,
offering business solutions to employers and
facilitating the collaboration with adult education providers to provide workplace literacy programs.

As such, ICCB and its partners launched a statewide employer engagement campaign called Behind Every Employer Illinois. The campaign engaged colleges and providers in the development of an employer-focused toolkit, professional development webinars, and paid ads to capture contact information of prospective employers who wanted to engage with the training programs.

Innovative Bridge and Transition (IBT)

OVERVIEW

The ICCB provides approximately $9.3 million annually in grant funding opportunities to support innovative bridge and transition programs and initiatives that support the seamless transition of students between education systems as well as employment. Supporting and scaling effective and equitable education and career programming is essential for preparing targeted populations for post-pandemic recovery.

The purpose of this grant is to:

Create or support programs that improve student transitions to and through postsecondary education (up to baccalaureate) and into employment, programs that support these transitions for individuals with disabilities; and

Scale programs that promote equity and diversity among those served.

Grant Objectives

The objectives of this grant are intended to increase access and persistence along career pathways for the targeted populations to be served. Grantees are to select one objective from the following four objectives for their grant focus. Each objective and subobjective is held to a maximum cost per participant.

Objective 1: Adult Education Bridge and ICAPS Programming:

Objective 2: Seamless Transitions for College and Career Pathways:

Objective 3: Wrap-around Support Services

Objective 4: Seamless Transitions for Students with Disabilities

Industrial Training and Assessment Centers (ITAC)

OVERVIEW

Through a grant with the US Dept. Of Energy, the Board partners with the following community colleges to serve as regional sub-recipients and Industrial Training and Assessment Center (ITAC) sites with support from the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center: City Colleges of Chicago, John Wood Community College, Southwestern Illinois College, and Lincoln Land Community College. These community colleges are adept at creating regional alliances with labor organizations, community-based organizations, and employers and have substantial experience working with small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs). Activities range from curriculum and apprenticeship development, customized/contract training, internships, and job placement for graduating students.

OBJECTIVES

The partners engage in coordinated and collaborative efforts led by ICCB and a statewide advisory committee to meet the goals and deliverables of the project. Within each region, each ITAC, in coordination with local employers and other partners such as the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center, carries out innovation activities tailored to the region’s needs and strengths, creating a menu of potentially scalable approaches for replication and dissemination across the state. The project’s overall goal is to substantially expand the number of career pathways (6) in the clean energy sector that promotes the growth and efficiency of SMMs, ultimately increasing the number of qualified, diverse trainees entering the sector (70% of trainees in programs will represent targeted populations). To achieve project outcomes, this project will:

Develop and deliver curricula focusing on high-quality skilled trades jobs while providing hands-on support to SMMs.

Leverage the existing critical infrastructure of each community college in these regions to increase the number of diverse and qualified candidates for employment in the clean energy job sector, specifically partnering with SMMs.

Design energy- and manufacturing-related career pathway programs that address the needs of, and target outreach to, specific groups (e.g., displaced workers, low-income individuals, women) and partner with community-based organizations to tackle barriers to participation and employment.

Provide work-based learning opportunities for individuals.

Provide energy assessments to SMMs to aid in energy usage reduction.

Contribute to the Justice40 Initiative goal that 40% of the benefits of climate and clean energy investments flow to disadvantaged communities.

Integrated Career and Academic Preparation System (ICAPS)

ICAPS is a quality instructional framework in Illinois for the implementation of Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs, as defined by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). ICAPS provides an accelerated pathway to an industry recognized credential through training partnerships – such as Career and Technical Education or an approved training provider – to serve eligible adult education students, including English Language Learners, at the same time that they are completing their Illinois High School Diploma and/or improving their English language skills. Instruction and training are supplemented by support courses and comprehensive student support services and augmented by collaborative teaching practices between workforce training instructors and basic skills instructors.

Our nation’s economy and global success depends on an educated, skilled workforce that can quickly adapt to changes in technology and business, and adult learners can be a part of the solution through the training in ICAPS. The accelerated ICAPS approach leverages assets of the community, the instructional/training providers, and community colleges. Connecting programs with adult learners in the region fills a gap in their community’s workforce development programming.

Ability to Benefit (ATB)

(Link directly to adult ed page on the website. (Page 3 of this document) )

Employer Resources

Welcome to the Illinois Community College System Employer resources site. Community colleges provide comprehensive, market-driven services based on local employer needs. Colleges can analyze an organization’s needs and offer in-depth assessments of the entire organization. Training is delivered at the workplace, on campus, or on-line. Services range from professional continuing education and customized job training to entrepreneurship training, consulting services, government contract procurement assistance, and industrial attraction and retention.

Across the state, community colleges, through their business and industry centers, work with businesses, industries, and economic development entities to recruit and train workers, retain existing businesses, and bring new businesses and jobs to Illinois. Additionally, colleges engage local business partners through their participation on program advisory committees for the career and technical education programs. This provides industry partners with a forum to render input directly to the college – and ensures that community college programs are always reflective of the latest industry trends.

Human Resource Development – we need to drill into the HRD link, but what is on there now is accurate. This would really fall into Customized training and doesn’t need its own tab

From the HRD link:

Professional Continuing Education
Businesses need employees who are skilled and knowledgeable in the latest technology. This is one reason why Illinois community colleges have seen an increase in noncredit, professional development courses. Professional real estate agents, nurses, physical therapist, computer network specialist, cosmetologist and teachers are just among the few who rely on the local community college to design and deliver classes and programs for initial certification and continuing education units that are needed to continue their professional status. Resources for continuing education may be found through weTRaIN.

Contract/Customized Training
Customized training continues to be one of the most requested services provided by the Business and Industry Centers at the community colleges. Individual companies require specialized training in order to meet specific technology and industry needs. Contract training assists companies in developing their workforce by providing basic educational skills, specific industry skills and highly developed technical skills.

Entrepreneurship Training
Community colleges offer courses for individuals who are exploring the possibility of starting a business or who have developed a home-based business and are in need of gaining information on business plans, securing finances, employment laws and regulations, and other details. Information about entrepreneurship training may be found on the Illinois Small Business Development Center.

Programs

From the Programs link:

Contract/Customized Training
Businesses seek assistance from community colleges not only for specific employee skill development, but they also seek assistance with strategic planning, process improvement and other system-wide operations that lead to increased productivity.

Counseling and Management Assistance
Businesses and communities have come to depend on the educational information, support and resources that are provided by the local community college Small Business Development Centers. During the initial start-up, businesses often seek local support and resources in order to be successful. These relationships continue to grow over the years and develop into long-term mentoring relationships.

Entrepreneurship Seminars and Workshops
Community colleges across Illinois offer a variety of services to individuals who are interested in starting a business and for individuals who are currently running their own business. These services are offered via seminars and workshops and include development of a business plan, securing finances, addressing state and federal employment laws, and other details necessary to be successful.

Business Attraction, Retention and Expansion
Attracting, retaining and expanding businesses is the foundation of economic development and community colleges are playing a key role in this process. As communities strive to provide all the resources necessary to attract and retain businesses they are leaning on the local community college for assistance. Community colleges are providing various resources such as meeting facilities, re-hiring testing and training along with formal educational degrees that support the skills needed by the local employer.

Support Centers

From the Support Centers link:

The Business and Industry Centers located in each of the 39 Illinois community college districts provide assessments, testing, education, training and other business resources that are specific to the needs of a local business. These centers assist local businesses to become competitive and to increase their economic viability by increasing employee skills.

Small Business Development Centers in cooperation with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the U.S. Small Business Administration, provide technical and management assistance through one-on-one counseling and group training sessions to local business owners. These services may include development of a business plan, securing finances, addressing state and federal employment laws and other details necessary to be successful.

Procurement centers provide businesses with the marketing and technical assistance necessary to procure government contracts. Ultimately, the successes of the procurement centers provide industrial and service-based companies with government contracts that facilitate job creation and retention in the area.

Associations and Partners

Illinois Council for Continuing Education and Training (ICCET)

Illinois Council on Continuing Higher Education (ICCHE)

Training and Resources Information Network (weTRaIN)

Apprenticeships

Our vision is to elevate the statewide awareness of the roles of community colleges in apprenticeships and expand and strengthen those apprenticeship roles by undertaking the following activities:

Create a listserv to open the apprenticeship dialogue among community colleges;
Establish and utilize a monthly workgroup;
Conduct a survey to gain baseline data on apprenticeships at community colleges;
Host monthly virtual Learning Communities;
Promote apprenticeship best practices through ICCB external newsletter;
Develop white papers
Look for funding opportunities for the system

Apprenticeships at Work Convening – July 9, 2025