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Illinois Central College Announces Outcomes of $14.2 Million IT Workforce Accelerator Grant

by Amanda Lewis

East Peoria, IL (03/27/2024) — Illinois Central College (ICC) recently announced outcomes of the IT Workforce Accelerator program funded by a $14.2 million U.S. Economic Development Administration grant received by Bradley University, Eureka College, and ICC in 2022.

The program allows the three schools to provide no-cost IT training to help Central Illinois residents and employees upgrade their skills and get jobs in IT. The certificates and microcredentials available were created in response to the IT training needs of over 200 local businesses, and most can be earned in less than six months.

As of the end of 2023, the program had over 800 participants and exceeded the goal for credential completion by 20%. To date, over 1,300 individuals have registered for classes. The goal is to help 1,000 people get hired for IT jobs or retrained.

Don Shafer, executive director of the IT Workforce Accelerator, said, "It's a collaborative effort. What's been great is the collaboration between three higher education institutions. And we have some great stories of individuals that weren't in IT before and now they've been hired for jobs they never would have applied for had they not had this training.

The IT Workforce Accelerator is hosting a job fair on April 2, 2024, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the East Peoria ICC campus. Businesses and individuals interested in participating can find more information at www.itworkforceaccelerator.org.

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Illinois Central College is a two-year community college with campuses in East Peoria, Peoria, and Pekin, Illinois, providing a high-quality, affordable education to prepare individuals for success in the workforce or at a four-year college or university. For more information on ICC, visit icc.edu.

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