The Illinois Community College Board, through its Rev Up EV! Community College Initiative, granted $9.4 million to help prepare students for careers in EV technology and advanced manufacturing fields, according to a news release from the ICCB.
Lake Land College in Mattoon was awarded $89,999.56 to build capacity and prepare for future needs of the EV industry.
Heartland Community College in Normal was awarded $525,000 and Richland Community College in Decatur was awarded $502,000 for technology development and expansion, including the expansion of job training from development and production to maintenance of EVs and installation of critical infrastructure.
The competitive grant program is meant to support the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which established Illinois policy to transition to 100 percent clean energy by 2050, the news release said.
Grantees must participate in the Illinois Green Economy Network's IL EV Network, which is working to guide the expansion of light and heavy-duty EV training to meet industry demand for high-skill individuals, the news release continued.
"Thanks to Governor Pritzker's leadership, Illinois is at the forefront of change to vehicle electrification and continues to attract new EV industry companies," ICCB Executive Director Brian Durham stated. "This funding will allow our community college system to increase the trained workforce and create new technology that will support the growing needs of the industry for years to come."
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