Kaskaskia College has been awarded almost $900,000 through four grants to improve student experience specifically in the trades and agriculture.
KC Dean of Career and Technical Education Traci Masau says all the grants were awarded by the Illinois Community College Board to help high schoolers, current college students and nontraditional students.
“A lot of our grants are providing gas cards for students to remove some of the barriers to drive to college for classes,” Masau said. “Some of them provide food vouchers for the cafeteria to help support them that way.”
The Innovative Bridge and Transition grant will assist with the startup of the Precision Agriculture Program, including the purchase of at least one drone and summer programs for younger students to introduce them to jobs in agriculture.
The Taking Back the Trades grant will allow high school students to take dual credits at a reduce cost. Through dual enrollment, high school students can get a year or two head start on completing certificates and degrees allowing them to enter the workforce in high-paying jobs quicker.
The non-credit workforce training grant will provide classes that provide short-term reskilling and training opportunities to improve professional skills. Masau says a major focus will be on Public Safety Telecommunications.
“They’ve had a lot of turnover, and a lot of the training they’re doing is internal. With this training we’ll provide onboarding support if agencies would like that, as well as making it available to individuals who are interested in telecommunications. So, maybe they’re not already working in the field, but they’re interested in it, so we can get them trained up.”
The Rev Up EV Grant emphasizes learning about all aspects of electric vehicles from maintenance to safety, including emergency responders who will have to deal with the vehicles in crash situations.
Registration for summer and fall classes at Kaskaskia College will open on March 17.
