Community college educators, students, manufacturers, technology providers and government representatives and others attended, celebrated and collaborated in a new $88 million manufacturing and technology center opening, local help to fill the U.S. manufacturing skills gap.
Manufacturing skills gap collaboration insights
- To address the growing U.S. manufacturing skills gap, community colleges are working with governments and industry to increase technology learning programs, labs and educational opportunities.
- The new Elgin Community College (ECC) $88 million Manufacturing and Technology Center welcomed students for the fall semester and celebrated its opening on Sept. 24 with remarks from officials and an open house.
- Robotics, renewable energy, pipe welding, industrial process control, computer numerical control (CNC), automation, HVAC/green energy, industrial maintenance and renewable energy are among educational opportunities served by the new Elgin Community College Manufacturing and Technology Center.
With approximately 580,000 U.S. manufacturing sector job openings growing to an estimated 2 million by 2030, community colleges are working with governments and industry to help fill that gap. Robotics, renewable energy, pipe welding, industrial process control, computer numerical control (CNC), automation, HVAC/green energy, industrial maintenance and renewable energy are among educational opportunities served by the new $88 million Elgin Community College Manufacturing and Technology Center. A Control Engineering photo gallery of the fall 2026 opening follows. Educators and students were the first photo opportunity in the ribbon-cutting area.
Figure 3: Elgin Community College new $88 million Manufacturing and Technology Center has an automation and robotics lab, as this short video at the Sept. 24 grand opening shows. The ECC Automation, Robotics and Maintenance Tech (ARM) program lab is 11,000 square feet of robots, sensors, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), power supplies, estops and other automation, educational and training areas. Courtesy: Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering, Arrowfly
Investments to address the manufacturing skills gap, provide high-paying technology jobs
Figure 4: Denise Hoske, local U-46 para-librarian, and Frank Bartos, former Control Engineering executive editor, were among grand-opening visitors to the Elgin Community College new $88 million Manufacturing and Technology Center, Sept. 24. Courtesy: Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering, Arrowfly…