Press Conference: Illinois Central College Receives $4.8 Million Grant from Round 2 of the Good Jobs Challenge for IT Workforce Accelerator Program
Peoria, IL (01/23/2025) — Illinois Central College (ICC) is hosting a press conference to announce its $4.8 million Good Jobs Challenge grant award from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA). This significant funding builds upon the success of the IT Workforce Accelerator program at ICC, which was initially launched with a 2022 Good Jobs Challenge grant.
ICC is the only organization to receive Good Jobs Challenge funding in both Round 1 and Round 2 and the only single community college to be awarded funding in this round. The IT Workforce Accelerator program allows individuals to quickly earn IT certifications at no cost to address workforce gaps for local employers. The second round of funding will be used to expand employer-driven training and apprenticeships and create a self-sustaining program model.
Date: Friday, January 24
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: ICC Peoria Campus, Student Center, 5407 N. University Street, Peoria
Available for interviews:
- Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey, President, ICC
- Don Shafer, Executive Director - IT Workforce Accelerator
- A representative from Heart Technologies
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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 students to enter the workforce or to transfer to a four-year institution. ICC is the 2020 awardee of the National Community College Charles Kennedy Equity Award from ACCT, a 2022 and 2025 EDA Good Job Challenge Institution, and the Lead College for the state of Illinois' Workforce Equity Initiative. ICC also conducts original research in agricultural fields, including water quality and soil conservation. For more information, visit icc.edu.
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