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ICCTA Business/Industry Partnership Award
2001 Nominees
Chicago Motor Speedway
Morton College
The Speedway is one of only two racetracks in the nation offering
both auto racing and horse racing. Morton is one of the few area
colleges providing automotive technology training. Both entities
joined together in 1998 to market Morton programs at Speedway
sporting events -- including an "Education û The Key to Driving
Your Future" day where scholarships were given away to high
school students. Morton president John Neuhaus notes, "The
Speedway partnership is young but already bearing fruit in
increased exposure for Morton with potential students unreachable
in conventional ways."
Eli's Cheesecake Company
Wilbur Wright College
Wright's partnership with Eli's has evolved over the past decade
from offering on-site GED classes to training employees in
computer literacy, customer service, and management skills during
the workday. So valuable is this connection that when the college
moved to its current location in 1993, Eli's followed, building new
facilities two blocks west of campus. "It is so important to me not
to just give my associates a job but also a career," says Eli's chief
executive officer Marc Schulman. "With the help of Wright
College, we have been able to accomplish that goal."
Forsheda Engineered Seals
Kaskaskia College
2001 award recipient -- click here to read more
Since 1996, Kaskaskia has provided customized instruction at the
Forsheda site. One-fourth of plant employees have completed basic
computer training; prior to the partnership, workers would have
been sent out-of-state for classes. In addition, Kaskaskia has
developed a new electro-mechanical technician program in
response to the impeding retirement of veteran Forsheda
employees. "Working together has provided a win-win situation,"
says Forsheda general manager Bill Feld. "We have benefitted
through employee skill-building, resulting in increased production
and decreased downtime."
Graham Hospital
Spoon River College
Because they both offer nursing programs, Graham and Spoon
River might be considered rivals to some extent. Despite this
competition, Spoon River works collaboratively with Graham to
offer general education courses, while Graham serves as a clinical
site for SRC's nursing students. The college even created a
specialized management and customer relations training program
for all hospital staff in spring 2001. "This unique project is but
another example of the long-standing benefits the partnership . . .
has brought to the residents of Fulton County," says Graham
president D. Ray Slaubaugh.
Hendricksen, the Care of Trees
William Rainey Harper College
In 1997, Harper was enlisted to assist Hendricksen's limited-
English-speaking employees with their language skills. The
program has now expanded beyond ESL classes to the provision of
"survival" Spanish and cultural awareness training for managers
and supervisors. In addition, the classes are being replicated at
Hendricksen sites in New York, Connecticut and Washington, D.C.
Company president Scott Jamieson states, "Understanding each
other's languages and cultures has helped us to become a much
closer company than we were before we began the Workforce
ESL/Command Spanish and cultural training."
Krupp Gerlach Company
Danville Area Community College
The decade-long collaboration between Danville and Krupp
Gerlach has generated such impressive results as flexible training
schedules for plant workers; an innovative, one-year "Fast Track"
degree in industrial maintenance; and nearly $225,000 in
equipment donations to the college. Krupp Gerlach also supports a
Youth Apprenticeship Program in which eligible high school
students receive DACC scholarships and a full-time position with
the automotive-parts manufacturer after graduation. "We have
worked hand-in-hand to the mutual benefit of each partner," says
Krupp president Joe Pycz. "Most importantly, this collaboration
has benefitted our community in workforce development and
training."
Matsushita Universal Media Services
Rend Lake College
Established in 1999, Matsushita will soon become Perry County's
largest employer. Rend Lake has helped meet the CD/DVD
maker's needs by providing an apprenticeship program, career
pathing, and an on-site training coordinator. Matsushita's planned
$76 million expansion also gave Rend Lake the impetus to plan a
new satellite training facility, located just east of the Matsushita
plant. "The college's role in training and retraining our existing and
prospective workforce has been and will continue to be critical in
the development of our manufacturing facility," says Matsushita's
chief operating officer Gary Vaughn.
Southern Imperial, Inc.
Rock Valley College
In addition to providing classes and an in-house training
coordinator, Rock Valley has facilitated Southern's strategic
planning workshops û and even helped hire its chief operating
officer, chief financial officer, and engineering manager. In turn,
when the college needed room for a plastics technology program,
Southern donated the space, even though the custom display
manufacturer does not make plastic molding. "It is our judgment
that Rock Valley College has saved our business in excess of
$500,000 in the areas of shop floor improvements and training of
all of our personnel," says Southern's chief operating officer Dean
Zaumseil.
United Parcel Service
Moraine Valley Community College
UPS employs more than 10,000 people at its Chicago hub; 90
percent are part-time, with students between the ages of 18 to 24
the targeted hiring group. Moraine Valley has helped meet the
company's training needs with special programs combining school
and work opportunities for area high school seniors and college
students. In 2000, the Earn and Learn program (part-time job plus
financial aid) was expanded to all Chicago-area community
colleges. "The activities resulting from our partnership have caught
the attention of our national office, and in some cases, have been
modeled throughout the nation," notes UPS district manager Tony
Poselenzny.
The statewide recipient of the 2001 Business/Industry Partnership Award will be announced at
ICCTA's annual banquet on Friday, June 15, at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago.
For additional information, please contact
Kim Villanueva at 217-528-2858, ext. 1.
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Illinois Community College Trustees Association
401 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 200
Springfield, IL 62701-1711
217-528-2858 (phone)
217-528-8662 (fax)
ICCTA@communitycolleges.org (e-mail)
http://www.communitycolleges.org |
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