Grants Available for Manufacturing Students at KCC

The One Workforce grant program covers tuition, textbooks, fees, hand tools, materials, and personal protective equipment for students enrolled in programs which can lead to employment in a field related to manufacturing. Grant students are enrolled in KCC manufacturing-based certificates and associate degrees such as: welding, machine tool, industrial maintenance, electrical technology, and manufacturing technology.

The Kankakee County Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (KCCVB) mission is to market and develop branded Kankakee County destination experiences to enhance community economic growth and quality of life. To achieve this mission, the KCCVB has unveil a newly structured Community Tourism Action Plan (CTAP) Grants Program for 2023.

The primary purposes of the KCCVB CTAP grants are to add vibrancy to communities in Kankakee County and to generate new economic impact through visitation by non-residents.

The need for additional and affordable housing in Kankakee County is critical to the population, growth, and economic development of the community. Results from a residential housing analysis administered by Tracy Cross & Associates, Inc. found the opportunity for new residential development over the next several years in Kankakee County is viewed as STRONG.

Makers Madness is an online contest highlighting amazing manufacturers and their fantastic products made in our state. The contest is a partnership with Comcast Business, an innovation champion and technology provider to manufacturers across Illinois.

Boasting capital investment of more than $1.5B over the recent years, exporting more than $7B from our Kankakee County businesses and manufacturers, and boasting an economical cost of living (92.1%) and housing costs (79.4%), this community is a draw for business, industry and livability.

 Investments in the power grid continued to pay reliability dividends for ComEd customers as the electric company delivered record reliability in 2022. Since grid improvements began in 2011, overall reliability has improved more than 80 percent. In that time, ComEd has avoided more than 19 million power outages for customers, saving more than $3.3 billion in outage-related costs. In 2022, 85 percent, or nearly 3.5 million ComEd customers, experienced zero or one interruption in service.

ComEd multi-year grid and rate plans will strengthen the region’s infrastructure and  economy and increase access to the benefits of clean energy and decarbonization under the  state’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). The plans also ensure that the electric grid  remains reliable and resilient for the 9 million people ComEd serves in northern Illinois as  severe weather events become more common due to climate change. 

Olivet Nazarene University is set to offer a degree in Entrepreneurship, and kicks off the program by hosting a Createur Conference & Pitch Competition on April 13-14, 2023. During the two-day conference, participants will hear alumni and other subject-matter experts share about their entrepreneurial experiences as well as career highlights from keynote speaker, Steve Green, president of Hobby Lobby and founder of the Museum of the Bible. The event will culminate with a business idea pitch competition.

With a cost of living below the national average, employment opportunities to earn a substantial income and being ranked in the top among small communities for nursing, carpentry, law enforcement and manufacturing hubs, Kankakee County is worth a second look.

Five area high schools will participate in the launch of Kankakee County CEO in August. A select group of students from Kankakee High School, Bishop McNamara High School, Momence Community High School, St. Anne Community High School and Kankakee Trinity Academy will visit local businesses, learn operations, soft skills and entrepreneurial basics as they begin their own business.