Elgin Community College Unveils $9.8M Advanced Manufacturing Center

Elgin Community College announced Thursday that its new Advanced Manufacturing and Workforce Center will open for classes on Sept. 8, following nearly two years of construction on the college's southeast campus. The 42,000-square-foot facility, funded by a combination of $6.1 million in state capital grants and $3.7 million from the ECC Foundation and local industry partners, will house programs in CNC machining, robotics, industrial automation, and welding technology.

College President Dr. Nadia Okonkwo said the center is designed to address a persistent skilled-labor shortage across Kane and Kendall counties. 'We have employers in this region with 60, 80, 100 open positions they cannot fill,' Okonkwo said at a Thursday press event inside the building's main fabrication lab. 'This facility closes that gap by putting students on equipment identical to what they'll operate on day one of a career.'