CAIRO, IL (September 15, 2022) – Shawnee Community College is set to participate in the Federal Highway Administration and the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Highway Construction Careers Training Program (HCCTP).
The program was created in 2009 and provides training and skill improvement opportunities that assure the increased participation of minority groups, disadvantaged persons, and women in all phases of the highway construction industry.*
Shawnee Community College will partner with John A. Logan College on this initiative. JALC, which started offering students the HCCTP in 2012, will provide training to SCC instructors over the next two years at Shawnee’s Cairo Extension Center. At that time, the program will then be sustained by Shawnee Community College.
“We view this as a win-win-win for Shawnee College, John A. Logan College, and, more importantly, the communities we serve. Students will graduate from the HCCTP and be well prepared for a well-paying career in the construction industry,” said Shawnee Community College President Dr. Tim Taylor.
“We are excited to collaborate with our southern Illinois community college partners,” said John A. Logan College President Dr. Kirk Overstreet. “With the success our program has had, and the new program at Shawnee Community College, our entire region will benefit.”
The HCCTP training sessions last about 12 weeks. Students will spend about 450 hours in the classroom and with ‘hands-on’ instruction throughout those training sessions. IDOT provides the funding and equipment needed for the HCCTP. The first course starts at the Shawnee Community College Cairo Extension Center on Monday, Sept. 19. The next set of classes is set to begin sometime in February.
As part of this training, students will also construct the first grocery store in Cairo since 2015. That is a program in the works with the University of Illinois Extension and Rise Community Market.
Shawnee Community College, John A. Logan College, and local and state leaders will hold a press conference on Wednesday, September 14, at the SCC Cairo Extension Center (2035 Washington Ave, Cairo, IL) at 2 p.m.
Anyone interested in the HCCTP may contact the Cairo Extension Center at 618-734-3660 or our Main Campus in Ullin at 618-634-3200 to enroll in the program.
*Information from the Illinois Department of Transportation.