Village of Skokie Partners with Illinois Science + Technology Park, Oakton Community College on Nanotechnology Jobs Training Initiative
Village of Skokie Partners with Illinois Science + Technology Park, Oakton Community College on Nanotechnology Jobs Training Initiative
The Nanotechnology Employment, Education and Economic Development Initiative (NE3I), a consortium that includes the Village of Skokie, the Illinois Science + Technology Park (IS+TP), Oakton Community College (OCC), NSERVE (a consortium of nine local high schools) and NanoInk, Inc., an IS+TP tenant, recently received a $250,000 grant from The Chicago Community Trust. At its June 18, 2012 meeting, the Skokie Village Board authorized matching this grant with $250,000 in funds from the Village’s Downtown Science + Technology Park Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District to further the NE3I goal of making nanotechnology accessible for local high school and community college students.
“The NE3I partner organizations share a common goal of training 125 to 300 local students each year to address a growing and documented need for nanotechnicians at the IS+TP and other northern Illinois locations,” said Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen. “In addition to the generous grant from The Chicago Community Trust and the Village’s fund match through the IS+TP TIF, the consortium continues to work with state and federal agencies to secure additional funding for this important jobs training initiative.”
The NE3I will be housed at the IS+TP in Downtown Skokie, and the Village of Skokie and all partners will have representation on the program’s advisory board. The nanotechnology training curriculum will be developed by the OCC Departments of Math and Technologies and Science and Health Careers, and will incorporate existing curriculum developed by NanoInk, Inc.
“NE3I represents a unique public/private partnership. I am grateful to Oakton Community College and Forest City Enterprises, the firm that owns the IS+TP, for their leadership and cooperation. I am equally grateful to The Chicago Community Trust for supporting the initiative, and am pleased that the Village of Skokie has the resources to contribute to this important jobs training initiative. With a locally trained, professional nanotechnology workforce, it is expected that additional nanotechnology firms will establish a presence at the IS+TP and regionally throughout northern Illinois,” said Van Dusen.
The curriculum is expected to be available to area students through OCC in spring 2013.
