Description
The Manufacturing Training Academies Grant Program aims to provide capital grants to establish advanced workforce training facilities at downstate Illinois community colleges. The program will support the development of manufacturing training academies that will provide effective workforce training opportunities for prospective trainees. The grants will range from $3 million to $6 million, and the program expects to award 6 grants. The project duration is expected to be 24 months, from mid 2026 to mid 2028.
• The program will focus on priority industries identified in the Illinois Economic Growth Plan, including Life Sciences, Quantum Computing, AI, and Microelectronics, Clean Energy Production and Manufacturing, Advanced Manufacturing, and Next Generation Agriculture, Ag Tech and Food Processing.
• The program will provide grants to community college districts located outside Cook and the collar counties.
• The program will require grantees to submit performance data to the Department on a quarterly basis.
• The program will require grantees to comply with the Business Enterprise Program for Minorities, Females, and Persons with Disabilities Act.
• The program will require grantees to comply with the Illinois Works Jobs Program Act and the Prevailing Wage Act.