08May
You may know about construction, but what about deconstruction? A new certificate program at Illinois Central College, funded by a U.S. Department of Labor grant, teaches students what materials to salvage from properties and what needs to be thrown away or recycled.
The four courses are designed to be completed in one semester. Students can take online classes, or those that combine online and classroom contact. ICC has achieved some great partnerships in support of the new program, in addition to student success and marketing opportunities. The final course, an internship, involves working on a deconstruction project with a local business. These partnerships have included students working in collaboration with the City of Peoria, Local Initiatives Support Corporation of Greater Peoria (LISC) and the Peoria Park District.
The partnerships have also provided students with tours that were intended to develop a comprehensive understanding related to the material covered in the program. Some of these tours included site visits with Illini Recycling, Habitat for Humanity Restore, City of East Peoria Buildings and Public Property, Core Construction, Otto Baum Construction, and Thompson Brother’s Inc.
Student Success
Students come from a variety of backgrounds, including business administration, green building environment, general education, architecture, automotive technology and computer programming. One student, Tom Wester enrolled in the first course and went on to open his own salvage company in the area and now offers internships and jobs to program graduates.
Information about the program has appeared in the Peoria Journal Star as well as local television and radio stations. ICC recently was invited to discuss the program on the Good Company television show and also plans to make a presentation at the Illinois Recycling Association 2015 Conference in East Peoria. ICC has promoted the program with posters, brochures and advertising in local business magazines and contractor directories. The program was funded with a Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.