Carl Sandburg College is a recipient of a grant that is being used to expand the school’s electrical lab and vocational curriculum.
Worth nearly $1 million, the grant has been used to put in 10 new welding bays, now giving them a total of 25.
The funds are also helping to expand certificates the college offers.
The programs have two new tracks, one in bio-processing and one in manufacturing.
Both of them begin with a one-semester certificate followed by options of a one-year certificate and a two-year Associate in Applied Sciences degree.
The grant comes from a U.S. Department of Labor program known as Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training.
Five Illinois colleges, including Sandburg, are part of a consortium that applied for the grant with the proposal “Building Illinois’ Bioeconomy”.
The focus is on partnering colleges with regional employers to support employment needs in areas that support biofuels.