Career Training Consortium to Present at National Conference Hosted by Department of Energy
The Building Illinois’ Bioeconomy (BIB) Consortium, a Department of Labor-funded initiative led by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, will present an interactive poster at the Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technology Office’s (BETO) national conference. The 10th annual conference, entitled Bioeconomy 2017: Domestic Resources for a Vibrant Future, will be held July 11-12 at the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington, Va.
The BIB Consortium will showcase its model of educational programming and hands-on learning opportunities to students in the bioeconomy industries, including bioprocess, bioenergy, process maintenance, water management and more. Students enrolled in courses within the consortium are provided additional resources and opportunities to help them achieve employer standards, and continue progressing toward sustainable processes and business practices.
“We’re filling the jobs of today and preparing for the jobs of tomorrow,” said BIB Project Manager Courtney Breckenridge. “Our nation supports an all of the above energy policy, so BIB must deliver an all of the above workforce. We are preparing workers for jobs that cannot be outsourced, using homegrown, domestic fuel and products made from renewable resources.
“The research making this transition possible is taking place in our backyard. The intersections of food, energy and water are not only some of the most important issues of our time, but also are areas where we have an edge for economic development, and the new jobs and revenue that this growing industry will bring.”
Breckenridge will be joined by Diana Nastasia and Jackie Pohlman, also of the BIB project management team. The interactive poster session will accompany separate breakout sessions over two days, featuring industry experts as keynote speakers and panelists who will discuss critical issues such as innovative technologies, economic opportunities and growing markets in the bioeconomy.
For more information about the BIB Consortium and its presentation at the DOE national conference, follow @BuildingILBio on Twitter or visit buildingillinoisbio.com.
About The Building Illinois’ Bioeconomy (BIB) Consortium
The Building Illinois’ Bioeconomy (BIB) Consortium, formed in 2014 through funding from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program, offers certificates and degrees, with options for stackable and latticed credentials, in Bioprocess, Process Maintenance, Bioenergy, and Water Management. The BIB Consortium, composed of five higher education institutions which span the state of Illinois, includes Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Lewis and Clark Community College located in Godfrey, Southeastern Illinois College located in Harrisburg, Lincoln Land Community College located in Springfield, and Carl Sandburg College located in Galesburg.
