Illinois Central College [ICC] and nine other schools across Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri will soon offer new training courses for careers in the maritime industry.
Creation of the federally approved Corn Belt Ports Rural Maritime & Logistic Training & Education Consortium advanced with the signing of a memorandum of understanding during the annual meeting of the Illinois River Cities and Towns Initiative [IRCTI] at the Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center near Oglesby.
“I’m very committed to developing our young workforce, and this will provide opportunities for training, for skill development,” said Peoria Mayor Rita Ali, who co-chairs the IRCTI.
“I would say these are careers that are not always very common, that you don't always see every day or advertised every day. So these are new opportunities for young people to get skills related to working on waterways.”
The consortium is built among schools primarily in areas close to the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. Other Illinois schools joining ICC in the program are Western Illinois University, Black Hawk College, Carl Sandburg College and John Wood Community College, with hopes of drawing additional institutions in the future.
“We want to bring more colleges and training partners into the consortium and create more pathways for young people and workers to careers in maritime transportation and logistics,” said Ali.
“Rural areas, there's a lot of opportunities, and they don't know what they don't know. They don't realize that they can do high-paying jobs and stay in their region if they choose to,” added Honey Zimmerman, an assistant professor of supply chain management at WIU.
“A big part of the consortium and the education we want to do is really about rural mobility and making sure that they are well trained to be able to do what they want to do.”
The partnership will focus on river ports and terminals, inland waterways and other freight corridors in developing the workforce in maritime-adjacent industries. It aims to prepare workers for careers essential to the national supply chain.
“For the first time, we have an opportunity to more closely connect our cities with our regional port system and build a stronger regional team along the Illinois River,” said Ottawa Mayor Robb Hasty, the initiative’s other co-chair. “That same idea is at the heart of IRCTI; it was created to bring our river communities together, strengthen our collective voice and create more opportunities across the Illinois River corridor.”
Designated by the Maritime Administration [MARAD] within the U.S. Department of Transportation as a “center of excellence” for domestic maritime workforce training, the consortium hopes to drive more young career seekers toward vital U.S. freight systems such as the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois lock-and-dam corridors.
“If we want a world-class supply chain, we need to build a world-class workforce right here along the Illinois River,” said Ali. “By working together, we can create more career opportunities for our residents and strengthen the economic future of our riverfront communities.”
