Parkland College Trustees Approve Mobile Career Lab Project
Funds for this purchase have been made available from the Illinois Community College Board's Taking Back the Trades Grant.
At its monthly meeting, the Parkland College Board of Trustees approved a contract to design and construct a mobile career exploration lab and recruitment space for use within District 505 communities.
The accepted proposal for the new fifth-wheel trailer came from Mobile Marketing Solutions, Inc., dba Brewco Marketing Group of Central City, Ky, in conjunction with Triune and RBD of Elkhart, Ind., for $270,000. Funds for this purchase have been made available from the Illinois Community College Board's Taking Back the Trades Grant. Parkland's new Department of Career and Community Engagement will use the mobile unit to meet the college's goal of increasing awareness of Parkland career opportunities and educational pathways throughout the district.
In other business, trustees approved:
- annual tuition increases at the Parkland Child Development Center
- the purchase of:
- equipment for the construction program from Grainger, Lake Forest, Ill., $25,653
- the filing of grant applications:
- Illinois Community College Board (ICCB): Taking Back the Trades! Trades School Grant Program- Round 3 Grant
- Fabricators and Manufacturers Association/Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs: Summer Manufacturing Camps
- ICCB: FY 2025 Digital Instruction for Adult Education
- ICCB: Expansion of ESL Services for Adult Education Providers
- funds awarded to Parkland from external sources:
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA): Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program— Education and Workforce Development Program
- Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN): Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN): Renewable Energy Resources Trust Fund (IEPA funding) – General Membership Award
- Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) and Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO): Grassroots Local/Regional Manufacturing Training Program Engagement and Recruitment
- Illinois Arts Council (IAC): General Operating Support (GOS) Grants
- personnel appointments and modifications:
- Ashley Jarin, Telecommunicator, Public Safety
- Megan Dallas, Advisor, Student Records, Admissions and Records
- Gavin Granse, Public Safety Officer, Public Safety
Trustees will meet again on a regular monthly schedule beginning January 15, 2025.