Heartland Community College presents regional strategic plan, seeks county help on facilities, transportation and workforce programs
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Summary
Heartland trustees outlined a regional strategic plan for District 540 focused on workforce gaps, enrollment pathways and measurable goals for the Pontiac campus, including targets for CNAs, CTE certificates, ESL and GED completions; they asked the county to help identify facilities, transportation options and grant opportunities.
Becky Rupp, chair of the Heartland Community College board, and trustee Janet Hood presented the college's regional strategic plan to the Livingston County Board on Jan. 15, describing a process that included an environmental scan, listening tours and community feedback.
Rupp said the college's 2024 environmental scan and subsequent listening tour showed Livingston County has a lower labor-force participation rate (about 58%) than the Illinois average (about 65%) and identified continuing needs for health-care workers, CDL drivers and technical-education pathways. "We started off our planning process in 2024," Rupp said, and described measurable goals the campus is pursuing through 2031, including graduating 20 CNA students annually, 20 health-related certificates, 40 career-technical education certificates tied to local employment, 20 ESL students, 40 GED completions and 12 CDL certificates.
Hood summarized findings from 30 listening tours: employers report difficulty recruiting locally; residents are unfamiliar with short-term certificate options; the community faces underemployment and transportation and childcare shortages. Hood said Heartland is considering locally delivered programs (CNA, medical assistant, dental assistant, recovery support specialist) and technical offerings (macroelectronics, HVAC, welding) and wants to develop apprenticeships and industry partnerships to connect students to work.
During Q&A, Keith Cornell, Heartland president, said the college already works with the area career center on some programs but is exploring ways to use existing facilities in Livingston County during off hours and other local options to host training. Board members and presenters discussed coordination with the county's childcare coalition and local transit providers; Health Department staff said Heartland is already an active participant in that coalition.
Rupp and Hood asked the county board to consider partnerships and support for facilities, parking or space suitable for CDL training, help identifying grants and to coordinate with workforce and transit partners so students can access courses. The trustees said their board will vote on the plan in March and sought county feedback before final approval.