2025 ISBE Career Connections Conference

Learn how Illinois Community Colleges utilized State of Illinois Trades School Grant Program funding to prepare in-school youth for opportunities in trades programs in some of the following sectors: Architecture and Construction, Energy, Healthcare, Information Technology, Manufacturing, Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, and Transportation, Distribution & Logistics. Through grant funding, programs were designed to serve students enrolled in high school, particularly those in their junior and senior years intending to transition to additional training and employment in the trades following graduation. Programs also created partnerships and pathways with middle schools for career awareness and exploration activities for middle school-age students.