Sandburg joins regional consortium to support inland maritime careers

Sandburg has signed on to be a charter member of a new, multi-state consortium to support inland maritime workforce needs in the upper Midwest.

 

The Corn Belt Ports Rural Logistics & Maritime Training & Education Consortium is a regional workforce development initiative that brings together a network of higher education institutions from Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin located along the upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. Its focus is to further align with the industry demands for afloatand ashore careers and to solidify long-term regional collaboration.   

 

The consortium includes Sandburg, Western Illinois University, Black Hawk College, Culver-Stockton College, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Illinois Central College, John Wood Community College, Northeast Iowa Community College, the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and Western Technical College.

 

"Sandburg is committed to finding ways to engage with industry partners to meet the workforce needs of employers in our region,” said Ellen Burns, dean of career technical education at Sandburg. “Joining this consortium is the latest example of our dedication to workforce development collaboration that benefits not only Sandburg’s district but to the entire upper Midwest."

 

Member schools will work with Corn Belt Ports, an organization of federally recognized ports within the Corn Belt’s lock-and-dam system, to keep the consortium’s work aligned with industry goals and academic strengths. They’ll also partner with We Work the Waterways, a national nonprofit education organization, to ensure regional efforts meet maritime workforce priorities.