Congressman Krishnamoorthi hosts roundtable at SWIC, discusses CTE future

 

By ZACHARY DAUM
Managing Editor, Herald Publications
[email protected]

U.S. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi was joined by State Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea), State Sen. Christopher Belt (D-Swansea), and several other community leaders on Oct. 21 for a tour of the new Advanced Manufacturing Academy at Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC).

The Advanced Manufacturing Academy officially opened this fall after being built with state grant funding. Krishnamoorthi, Hoffman and Belt took a tour of the facility, where Precision Machining Technology Program Coordinator Mark Bosworth explained what each machine did and gave a brief explanation of how the program was going.

The tour was followed by a roundtable discussion with SWIC faculty to address workforce development issues and the impact of federal Perkins Reauthorization funding on local career and technical education.

Krishnamoorthi chose to participate in this event as he has been a key advocate for career and technical education (CTE) in Congress. He authored and passed the bipartisan Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which boosted CTE funding by $1.3 billion annually.

Recently Krishnamoorthi also helped secure the Apprenticeships Build America federal grant, announced this summer by the Biden Administration. This grant is part of over $244 million from the U.S. Department of Labor aimed at expanding the Registered Apprenticeship system.

The Perkins Reauthorization funding, aimed at enhancing career and technical education (CTE) programs, was created as a resource for building a skilled labor force. Krishnamoorthi noted that the funds come with greater flexibility than previous iterations.

“In this round of reauthorization, we are taking the strings off,” said Krishnamoorthi. “But you guys have to all come together, talk and figure out, okay, what curriculum makes sense for your area.” Hoffman, Belt and Krishnamoorthi all emphasized during the discussion the importance of teaching for the purpose of workforce preparedness.

Krishnamoorthi’s point highlights a shift in the Perkins legislation—local educators, industry leaders and labor representatives now bear more responsibility for tailoring CTE curricula to meet regional workforce needs. The change allows more localized decision-making, which can help ensure that educational programs align with the specific demands of industries in Southern Illinois, particularly in manufacturing.

Also discussed was the need for SWIC and area high schools to leverage these funds effectively to build a talent pipeline from local schools to the workforce. The roundtable included discussions about local workforce challenges, such as finding qualified workers and retaining talent, as well as how federal dollars can be directed to address these needs.

 

 

(Editor’s note: This story also appears in the November 2024 print edition of the Illinois Business Journal.)