As we make the shift to clean energy, we must accelerate our efforts to prepare our current and next generation of workforce for the rapidly evolving electrification space. Manufacturing is looking to fill half a million jobs, which is expected to grow to approximately 2.1M by 2030. With already more than 120,000 jobs in clean energy and 28% growth of jobs in the clean transportation sector—the region’s fastest-growing sector in 2021, Illinois is outpacing the national growth projections for jobs in clean energy and electric vehicle manufacturing.
TCCI is the first company in Illinois to be a part of the Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Tax Credit Program with our capital investment, retention, and creation of new jobs with a first-of-its-kind collaborative electrification project. Additionally, through Rebuild Illinois, the state has granted $15.3M to Richland Community College and $6M to the City of Decatur to work side-by-side to develop a three-tiered facility at TCCI Manufacturing headquartered in Decatur, Illinois.
One of these three innovative tiers will be the EV Workforce Training Academy which will provide students with an immersive learning experience working side-by-side with industry experts. With access to state-of-the-art technology, electric vehicle educational opportunities will offer curriculum in Advanced Manufacturing, CNC Machining and Computer Science Engineering (software/hardware development).
The proposed partnership between TCCI and Richland Community College + Enrich™ will accelerate the clean energy plan and reduce instability of local workforce development infrastructures as we build job training programs, certificates, stackable credentials, and apprenticeship programs that will provide incentives for industry partnerships within the region and throughout the state. Graduates will have the opportunity to participate in STEM pathway programs with the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, Northern Illinois University, and the University of Illinois Springfield. Additional partnerships are being built across the Illinois Innovation Network as we work to integrate a culture of excellence with holistic student success.
This collaboration will work with key organizations to ensure workforce curriculum needs meet with job needs in Illinois, where the state’s manufacturing industry has an employment multiplier of 2.7, meaning that for every 10 jobs directly created by manufacturers, another 17 are created elsewhere in Illinois. Significant worker and community investments as well as ensuring equitable economic growth and development will help provide more opportunities for individuals to participate in high-wage, skilled work.
The EV Workforce Training Academy will demonstrate a new model for public-private partnerships that pushes us further, faster and alleviates workforce shortages in the electrification industry. Through this partnership with TCCI and our Illinois Public Higher Education Institutions, we can ensure that graduates have the skills and knowledge required for the jobs of tomorrow in the workplace. Construction on this academy will begin in the coming months with a plan to begin enrollment in August 2024.
For more information or if interested in educational or industry partnership, please contact Kara Demirjian Huss at ksd@tccimfg.com.
Download our EV Workforce Training Academy Prospectus
SOURCES: Iea.org / Epa.org / Clean Jobs Midwest 2022 Report / Illinois Manufacturers’ Association
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