Building pathways through training and education
By Craig Schmidt, Guest Writer
The Calumet Area Industrial Commission (CAIC), with support from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), launched the Job Training and Economic Development (JTED) program to address critical manufacturing workforce shortages.
In partnership with Governors State University’s (GovState) School of Extended Learning and Prairie State College’s Workforce Development and Community Education, the program provides hands-on training, career readiness preparation, and classroom instruction designed to open doors for residents of Chicago’s South Side and the southern suburbs.
Prairie State College delivered core instruction in safety training, applied math, and blueprint reading, while GovState offered CNC fundamentals and supply chain coursework. Together, these complementary skills equipped participants with the technical knowledge and problem-solving ability required in modern manufacturing.
One standout graduate is Apollo Jones, Jr. (pictured right), a South Side native and Alabama A&M mechanical engineering graduate. After discovering the program through his grandmother, Apollo enrolled and—through a mix of GovState-led coursework, Prairie State training, employer tours, and work-based learning—secured a position as a Manufacturing Engineering Technician at IMI Bimba Manufacturing in University Park.
“I was looking for jobs in manufacturing, and this program gave me both career readiness and exposure to areas like machining that built on what I learned at the university,” said Jones. “This program helped me get back on track. Now I have a full-time job and a future in manufacturing.”
Craig Schmidt, Executive Director of the School of Extended Learning at GovState, noted: “The JTED program shows what’s possible when an industry association, a community college, and a university work together. Through this collaboration, we’re helping individuals access high-demand careers while strengthening the manufacturing base that drives our region’s economy.”
Craig Schmidt is the Executive Director of School of Extended Learning at GovState.