Education and training issues are of critical importance to our region, the State of Illinois, and the nation. The South Metropolitan Regional Leadership Center and the Lincoln Networks have been working with a variety of partners to carve out solutions to our education funding crisis, and to identify effective ways to use this information sharing technology in the areas of education, training, and workforce readiness.

The United States Department of Labor has awarded a grant to the South Metropolitan Regional Leadership Center (SMRLC) at Governors State University for the project High Tech Highway: An Educational Curriculum for a Career in High Tech Manufacturing. The Leadership Center is in partnership with the Career Preparation Network, a network of area high schools; Prairie State College; Governors State University; and the Tooling and Manufacturing Association. A consortium is being created of representatives for these organizations to review and revise a curriculum to be designed for high school, community college, and university students to begin a career path in high tech manufacturing. A trial phase of the revised curriculum is expected to be implemented in the school year of 2002 - 2003.

The SMRLC will also be hosting a series of symposiums to address issues relating to high tech manufacturing and employment in the south metropolitan region. For information, please contact Ron Bean, Director, at 708-534-6970 or email to r-bean@govst.edu.