February 11, 2022

Duckworth Highlights Workforce Development Efforts at Lincoln Land Community College

 

[SPRINGFIELD, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with officials from Lincoln Land Community College to discuss her advocacy for community colleges, the creation of good-paying, local jobs and stronger support systems for students attending Illinois colleges. Duckworth and the group also toured the College’s Workforce Institute, which focuses on vocational training for high-demand, high-wage occupations at an affordable cost.

“Our nation’s college students should have as many good-paying, fulfilling career options as possible when they graduate,” Duckworth said. “It was good to talk with Lincoln Land Community College officials what we can do to create more good-paying, local jobs and help guide students as they discover the right educational and career paths for them. Investing in workforce development—and in students—by supporting our educational institutions is key to uplifting our state and building a better future.”

Duckworth has long worked to increase federal support for higher education. This week, she joined U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in video calls with several Presidents from the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities, as well as officials from the Illinois Community College Trustees Association to discuss their legislative efforts to uplift higher education in Illinois and across the nation.

This past September, she helped reintroduce the Community College to Career Fund in Higher Education Act (CC2C), which she previously introduced in 2019. The bill would support innovative partnerships between technical colleges, community colleges and businesses that train students for careers in high-demand fields.

In June 2021, she helped introduce the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act, which would help make college more affordable by doubling the Pell Grant award, index the award to inflation and make other changes to expand the award for working students and families.

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