Elgin Community College Receives $90,000 Grant Through Make It In Illinois Partnership

Tags: Accomplishment | Announcement | Student Resources
Published 02/05/2025
Student in a welding class at ECC

Student in a welding class at ECC

Elgin Community College (ECC) has been awarded a $90,000 grant through the Make It in Illinois (MIIL) campaign, an initiative by the Illinois Department of Commerce (DCEO) to promote manufacturing careers in Illinois. 

ECC is one of several Illinois institutions working to inspire prospective students to explore careers in manufacturing while supporting regional workforce development efforts. 

Through the MIIL initiative, ECC will work to increase awareness and enthusiasm for manufacturing careers locally through grassroots outreach and community partnerships.

“We are adapting a three-pronged approach to promote careers in manufacturing to individuals in the Elgin area,” said Cathy Taylor, PhD, dean of sustainability, business, and career technologies at ECC. “Manufacturing jobs provide a sustainable living wage. We aim to market these opportunities to recruit the next generation of manufacturing workers through grassroots efforts with local faith-based and community organizations and local economic development councils. Our marketing initiatives include promoting education and training to upskill and retrain a diverse workforce through apprenticeships and internships and partnering with our local manufacturing employers to identify career opportunities that require a skilled workforce in Elgin.”  

ECC’s manufacturing programs allow students to master in-demand skills by learning directly from industry-expert faculty through hands-on courses in mechatronics, CNC machining, welding, and more. ECC provides students with options to achieve certification, industry credentials, and associate degrees, in addition to connecting them to current partnerships with local manufacturers. 

“I discovered my passion for CNC programming, and ECC gave me a brighter outlook for my future,” said Steve Castellanos, ECC manufacturing student. 

The Make It in Illinois campaign partnership provides ECC the opportunity to increase its efforts in partnering with local manufacturers to help streamline the talent and skills that are needed across the region's workforce. This, in turn, will help fulfill and boost local and regional needs in the workforce while ensuring job placement and launching the careers of ECC students.

For more information on ECC’s partnership with Make It in Illinois, visit smart.elgin.edu/manufacturing and makeitinillinois.com.

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