ECC receives $1.98 million grant for health program

Elgin Community College has cashed in with its biggest federal grant in years.

The U.S. Department of Labor grant of $1.98 million is the largest the school has received in more than a decade, said Jonathan Caroll, director of grants, research and development at ECC.

Funds will used for the college's Pathways to Health Careers Program, which addresses local work force demands for clinical laboratory technicians, physical therapy and dental assistants, and in histology and radiography.

As part of the program, participants attend intense preparatory courses and get help improving reading, writing, math and computer literacy skills.

A team at ECC worked on the grant proposal for seven months.

"I don't think any of us had ever worked on something that hard," Caroll said.

Focused on creating a "seamless transition" from high school to ECC to the work force, the proposal factored in the needs of high school students as well as those of local hospitals.

"We were all very surprised and absolutely thrilled when we heard the news," Carroll said.

To be rationed over three years, half of the grant money will go toward tuition assistance for students in the program.

ECC's grant is part of $125 million awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor to 69 community colleges and community-based institutions across the country, under the president's community-based job training grants initiative. ECC and Rend Lake College in downstate Ina were the only Illinois institutions to receive grants.