Sandburg is joining a new regional effort to support training for jobs tied to the upper Mississippi and Illinois river systems.
The college is a charter member of the Corn Belt Ports Rural Logistics & Maritime Training & Education Consortium, a multistate partnership focused on workforce needs in inland maritime, logistics and port-related industries.
The consortium brings together colleges and universities from Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin to help develop training pathways for careers on the water, in ports and in related shore-based operations.
“Sandburg is committed to finding ways to engage with industry partners to meet the workforce needs of employers in our region,” said Ellen Burns, dean of career technical education at Sandburg. “Joining this consortium is the latest example of our dedication to workforce development collaboration that benefits not only Sandburg’s district but the entire upper Midwest.”
Sandburg is one of 10 member institutions in the consortium. Other members are Western Illinois University, Black Hawk College, Culver-Stockton College, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Illinois Central College, John Wood Community College, Northeast Iowa Community College, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Western Technical College.
Member schools will work with Corn Belt Ports, an organization of federally recognized ports within the Corn Belt’s lock-and-dam system, and We Work the Waterways, a national nonprofit education organization, to keep training efforts connected to maritime workforce needs.
