Parkland College

Building a strong workforce in our community.

• 261,232 Residents in Champaign, Ford, Piatt, and Iroquois counties
• 18,619 Business and community organizations
• 157,382 Area workers
• 9,047 Enrollments in Workforce Development programs

• Dislocated Workers
  Free workforce re-entry training: Through funding from the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB) #17, workers who have been laid off (or notified that a layoff is coming) and those in need of retraining receive free services that direct them to careers in healthcare, manufacturing, and tractor trailer driving. Many dislocated workers receive short-term training that allows them to quickly reenter the workforce.
  Parkland Workforce Development • 217/353-2119
  
  
• Underemployed Workers
  Highway Construction Careers Training Program (HCCTP): Funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation and administered by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), this program will help increase the total number of minorities, women, and disadvantaged individuals working on IDOT highway construction projects. Parkland partners with the ICCB and other Illinois community colleges on this training program.
  Parkland College Business Training • 217/351-2235
  
  
• Underprepared Workers
  
  • Adult Education services: Parkland College Adult Education offers free/low-cost services, programs, and instruction to adults who need to improve their basic literacy, do not have their high school diploma, or do not speak English as their first language.
    
    
  • Early School Leaver Transition Program: High school dropouts between the ages of 16 and 21 can complete adult education instruction while participating in work-based learning experiences and career skills-building classes through this program.
    
    
  • Free Computer Literacy Training Classes: Funded by a DCEO grant, the Digital Divide Training program servers the community by providing open entry/exit basic computer literacy training and instruction.
    Parkland Workforce Development • 217/353-2113
    
    
  • Adult Education Bridge Program Development Project: This ICCB-funded program encourages students to see the completion of the GED as the first step on the road to a career in the areas of healthcare, manufacturing, or transportation/logistics. At Parkland, students will complete their GED and also enroll in a Certified Nursing Assistant course which will allow them to begin working.
    Parkland Adult Education • 217/351-2580
    
  
  
• Incumbent Workers
  
  • Community-based Job Training Grant: Parkland’s Engineering Sciences and Technologies provides industrial maintenance training for incumbent workers at Kraft, Plastipak, and Flex-N-Gate, through funding from the Department of Labor and its Community-based Job Training Grant.
    Engineering Science and Technologies • 217/351-2401
    
    
  • The Diesel Technology addition at Parkland College, located to the southeast of the Tony Noel Agricultural Technology Applications Center, significantly increases the capacity for training in diesel technology.
    Business and Agri-Industries • 217/351-2213
    
    
  • Lean Healthcare Training: Parkland partners with local healthcare providers to offer Lean Healthcare training to more than 1,650 area healthcare workers at Provena Covenant Medical Center in Urbana, Kirby Hospital in Monticello, Provena United Samaritans Medical Center in Danville, and Gibson Area Hospital in Gibson City. Lean is a process and management philosophy, derived mostly from the Toyota Production System and used in numerous industries, through which waste is identified and steadily eliminated to improve overall customer value.Training is paid for with a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).
    Parkland College Business Training • 217/351-2235
    
    
  • Six Sigma Training: More than 480 workers from Kraft Foods Inc., Midwest Underground Technologies, Silgan White Cap, Taylor Studios, Alamo Group, Flex-N-Gate, Horizon Hobby, Vesuvius, USA, and more benefitted from a $509,339 grant from the DCEO to develop Six Sigma training for employees. This training involved the professionalizing of quality management functions in order to improve manufacturing/business processes and eliminate unproductive output.
    Parkland College Business Training • 217/351-2235
    
    
  • The Grand Victoria Foundation provided training for incumbent healthcare industry workers in non-healthcare fields to transition into healthcare careers. Students began by taking certificate courses as a Certified Nurse Assistant, and then progressed to the Licensed Practical Nurse curriculum. The goal of the program is to encourage growth in the field while supporting the students with tuition, course materials, and textbooks. This laddered approach — gaining credentials while still working — allows the incumbent worker to receive training while remaining in the workforce. Each credential gained allows for a change in job and salary in their chosen field.
    Parkland Workforce Development • 217/353-2119
    
    
  • State Energy Sector Partnership (SESP) “Green” Jobs Training Program: Green technology is expected to be a major source of new jobs and increased training for existing workers. Parkland College recently received SESP (State Energy Sector Partnership) funding to train over 300 workers for career opportunities in energy efficiency and renewable resources. These funds are used to train existing small contractors in new energy efficiency standards in their fields. Participants will receive training to help them successfully reenter the workforce.
    Parkland Workforce Development • 217/353-2119