Across our region, industries are struggling to find the qualified workers they need. The roles they are trying to fill require bachelor’s degrees because of the complexity in manufacturing, technology, healthcare, engineering, or skilled technical fields.

Employers are watching people with potential stop short of the finish line because there is no affordable, accessible path to a four-year degree in their own backyard that fits within the realities of their work schedules, their families, and their lives.

For more than 100 years, Illinois Valley Community College has been a leader in the education and training of our workforce. “No place so close can take you so far” is more than a slogan; it is our promise to our communities. A baccalaureate degree program would be life-changing for many community college district students, especially for those unable to commute or relocate to a university an hour or more away. We are in a unique position to fill workforce gaps by providing select degrees based on labor data that will benefit our communities directly.

We already have a strong relationship with local industries such as Eakas Corp. and Marquis Energy, who have been on the forefront of supporting the community college baccalaureate degree program for our community. Both companies have hired our graduates, participated in advisory councils, and helped shape curriculum and are now stepping forward in this initiative with letters of support.

When IVCC can offer a bachelor's degree, we know that our industries can do something they have not been able to do before: hire people trained specifically for the work they do, in the community where they operate. People who are trained here, who have roots here, stay. They grow with us. That continuity is worth more than any recruiting pipeline.

Research consistently shows that regional economies are stronger when people earn degrees and build careers close to home. Wages stay local. Tax revenue stays local. The professional class every community needs puts down roots. The Illinois Valley is a place worth investing in, but we need the tools to do it.

The Community College Baccalaureate Act is not a radical idea. More than 20 states already allow community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees and it is working. Illinois has been watching this model succeed elsewhere for years. It is time we gave our institutions, our employers, and our students the same opportunity. Illinois Valley Community College is ready. Our industries are ready. The students who want this path are ready.

I urge members of the Illinois General Assembly to pass HB 5319 this session and give our communities the workforce infrastructure we need to grow.  Please join me in contacting our local legislators to continue to encourage them to pass this bill this session. Thank you for your support and action.