Community colleges are the driving force behind economic gains for students, employers and local com

On March 16, Dr. Karen Hunter Anderson, Executive Director of the Illinois Community Board (ICCB), joined Clarissa Charles, a graduate of South Suburban College, and Cindy Brassea, Chief Operating Officer of Franciscan St. James Health, to draw attention to the impact of community colleges on increased earnings for workers and added skills to our workforce.

In discussing the economic impact of community colleges in the south Chicagoland region, the presidents of South Suburban College, Joliet Junior College, and Moraine Valley Community College highlighted earnings gains for students, a strong return on investment, and significant boost in tax revenues for local communities and the state.

Illinois Central College President Dr. John Erwin addressed the strong positive relationship between earnings and program completion for both ICC program completers and students within the state community college system as a whole.

The study showed the largest earnings increases for students occurred in the years immediately following program completion, with pre-enrollment to post-completion earnings gains from 2005 to 2011 averaging $4,387 state wide. ICC program completers averaged gains of $5,964 for the same period….Please click here for the full news release.