By NORMA ROSSI

To find a job, keep a job, create a job or teach a job may take skills that didn't exist yesterday. In a world where the ability to earn depends more and more on the ability to learn, community colleges like Illinois Central College in East Peoria are getting on-the-job training in job training — as they face what may be their biggest educational challenge to date

TEACHING people the skills to get jobs is one of the things community colleges do best. When they began that task in the 1960s, they were preparing their students to enter a prosperous and fairly stable economy. Today the economy is neither prosperous nor predictable; foreign competition is here to stay; the technological revolution is going full swing — and community colleges with their jobs-oriented mission are on the cutting edge of economic change.

One such college is Illinois Central College in East Peoria. Since its inception in 1966, ICC has worked closely with area businesses, but at no time has it undertaken more programs for businesses or faced more demands than it does now. This is not surprising, for Peoria — like much of Illinois — has been wounded, stunned and awakened to the need for change by the recent economic downturn.

Peoria used to be Illinois' "recession-proof" city, thanks in large part, to the presence of mighty Caterpillar Tractor Company with its worldwide headquarters and five plants employing more than 30,000 workers. But by the fall of 1982, Peoria exemplified what was wrong with the U.S. economy.

Illinois Central College in East Peoria serves the counties of Bureau, Livingston, McLean, Marshall, Mason, Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford.

Facing depressed foreign markets and increased competition from Komatsu Ltd. of Japan, Caterpillar showed a loss of $180 million in 1982 — the first in 50 years. Last October 1, nearly 12,000 United Auto Workers began what was to be a 205-day strike against Caterpillar. By February 1983, the Peoria area unemployment rate (which does not include striking workers) peaked at 19.3 percent or almost one out of every five workers. The sales decline and shutdown at Caterpillar had ominous overtones for the area's economy.

By April 23, however, the strike was settled, and though layoffs loomed, the area's unemployment rate was inching downward.

A superficial survey of the situation might portend bad times for many years ahead. But a deeper look indicates positive signs, including cooperation and innovation that might not have occurred in a more prosperous climate. In short, Peoria is trying to change and strengthen its economy. And since change translates into new skills, new machinery and new techniques — the kinds of coursework at which community colleges excel — ICC is involved in many of those changes, as the following stories indicate.

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

With 1,300 members in Peoria, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is feeling the effects of the Caterpillar strike and high local unemployment combined with the nationwide slowdown in construction activity. In the past, there has been little cooperation between labor unions, which have their own guild system for job training, and community colleges, which have traditionally prepared students for further college education or associate degrees rather than industrial job training. "I didn't see a connection between ICC and us," admits Mark H. Ayers, assistant business manager of Electrical Workers Local No. 34.

At 34 years of age with a neatly trimmed beard and conservative business suit and tie, Ayers' appearance fits the stereotype of a professor more than it does a labor official. But there was no doubt as to his point of view when he attended the September 17, 1982, meeting of the State Board of Higher Education Policy Study Committee in Springfield.

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Well seasoned instructors and plenty of hands-on experience were what the Electrical Workers Local No. 34 asked for in a welding course, and that's what ICC provided.

"I'm the only labor representative on the committee," he explains, "and when they were discussing the role of the community colleges, I told them I didn't see any efforts on the part of community colleges for labor and craft unions. I didn't expect much reaction to that statement," he continues, "but the walls must have had ears and sent signals."

The next day, according to Ayers, he received a call from ICC's Economic Development Director James Finch to set up a September 27 meeting with Finch, ICC President Leon Perley, Dean of Career Education Michael Svob, and other union and college representatives.

"I never expected this kind of interest or results — especially this quickly," Ayers says, "so when they asked me what I wanted, I answered with what I felt was our most immediate need — training electricians to be certified welders."

Welding talents are needed at nuclear power plant sites, and no two jobs are alike. With different techniques in use at each site, electricians have to be certified anew as welders on each job they apply for.

"All electricians have welding in apprenticeship training," Ayers explains, "but that's when you're young and starting out. You want to fulfill your obligations and go on. Now they'd be taking training because they wanted to and really make the best of it. An electrician is 10 times more employable when certified, though it makes no difference in wages."

Nevertheless, Ayers admits he had some worries. One was whether the membership would go for this kind of training. That concern disappeared when he described the proposed course to 45 electricians at a meeting, and nearly half signed up. Ayers was also worried about the quality of instruction. "Our group is seasoned workers," he says. "I didn't want an instructor who'd had no work experience and taught only in secondary schools. And I wanted plenty of hands-on experience."

Working out the course details with Svob and Elizabeth Doversberger, chairman of ICC's Mechanical and Industrial Technology Program, put Ayers at ease. The teacher they selected was Bill Hughes, who has certification out of New York as a construction steam fitter and experience as a maintenance welder at Caterpillar. He filled the ticket.

Ayers was one of 17 enrollees in the first course which began in November and consisted of six classes held on Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

'. . . I would urge other unions to work with their community colleges. . . . We have to be ready for the new jobs when they come' —Mark Ayers, Electrical Workers Local No. 34

with a half hour lunch break. "We really got to know welding from the inside out," Ayers said. "You knew when you welded a seam that it would hold if your buddies were hundreds of feet up on a casing. I took the course because I didn't want my membership to think I thought I was too good." He also praises the attentiveness of ICC's administrators: "I really admire the dedication Drs. Svob and Doversberger showed — there wasn't a Sunday Mike wasn't out to check to see how things were going."

According to Doversberger, 13 of the 17 enrolled completed the course, and more than half have been certified — a very high percentage. A second course began in January, and other courses will be scheduled for the more than 40 electricians on the waiting list. Cost of the six-week, two-credit course was $32.

Ayers believes that labor has to prepare itself for high tech and get training now. "Working with ICC is encouraging for us," he says, "and would urge other unions to work with their community colleges. But if they do not respond," he adds, "I would say go right over their head to the State Board of Higher Education. We have to be ready for the new jobs when they come."

Caterpillar Tractor

Since its inception in 1967, ICC has worked in close partnership with Caterpillar Tractor Company. An example is the Apprenticeship Equivalency-Credit Program. Funded by Caterpillar, this program facilitates the systematic transfer of credits from Caterpillar apprentice programs to several ICC technical programs. Caterpillar employees can then combine these credits with an additional 19 to 47 hours of ICC course work to earn their associate degrees at ICC. The program was established in 1976.

By the end of last summer, 92 of the 210 participating employees had earned associate degrees. They could then make use of yet another resource in the city's industrial/educational network: They could transfer to Bradley University, a private school in Peoria, and complete a baccalaureate in manufacturing technology.

Testimony to the effectiveness of the ICC-Caterpillar relationship was the April 25 announcement that together they had won the 1983 Award for Community, Technical, Junior College — Business/Industry Cooperation sponsored by the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges with support from HBT Media Systems Corporation.

RLI Corporation

Relationships with giant corporations like Caterpillar may be long-established within the state's community college system, but what about other, smaller businesses? In Peoria, one of these is RLI Corporation, a fast-growing company with special needs because of growth, product diversification and increasing emphasis on microcomputers.

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Formed in 1961 by current President Gerald D. Stephens, RLI began as an

... the most important aspects of the ICC program were their flexibility, creativity and cost effectiveness

insurer for contact lenses, at that time a new product. Today, RLI is the world's largest insurer of contact lenses and has diversified into other specialty insurance products. It employs 180 people (compared to 100 in 1978) in its corporate headquarters on Peoria's northside and has subsidiaries in Massachusetts, Florida and Canada. Microcomputers play a growing part in the company's record-keeping and planning operations, but there were many questions on how to train a diverse work force to use the equipment. "We required new state-of-the-art equipment to continue our thrust into new markets," according to Gregory J. Tiemeier, director of personnel and employee training. "We use software utilizing the CPM operating system which is transferable between several computers. These include our Radio Shack models, IBM personal computers and Sanyo microcomputers."

Sensitive to the fact that employee reaction to the machines was often hesitant and even fearful, Tiemeier researched seminars and courses to find the correct training vehicles. He wanted training in management tools for accounting and planning as well as training in word-processing. Most such programs are very expensive and require extra-hour participation or even whole weekends.

"It was late 1982, and we were coming to the point where we had to make a decision," he explains. "At that time Michael Quine, RLI's general manager of human resources, attended a Partners in Training seminar sponsored by ICC and was impressed by the school's program."

About that same time, an ICC representative had come to discuss training needs with Tiemeier. "We explored several possibilities with Jim Finch and Mike Svob, including the HITS [High Impact Training Sector] program but the timing wasn't right," Tiemeier explains. "It ended up that ICC came up with a creative approach for our needs."

RLI's problem, according to William Mudra, chairman of ICC's Accounting and Data Processing Department, is common to many businesses switching to a new technology: "All that new equipment tends to just sit there until people get used to it. The key is hands-on experience which is why we chose to bring the courses and training to RLI instead of holding classes at the college." In the beginning, ICC developed an orientation session to overcome stereotypes and fears. Then the ICC instructors introduced basic terminology and how to care for the system.

Daniel O'Malley, general manager of the new Pere Marquette Hotel, stands amid the rubble of reconstruction in what will become an elegant dining room, replete with crystal chandeliers and etched glass. The hotel will employ 167 people trained by ICC.

"I saw myself as an ombudsman, not an instructor," Tiemeier explains, "and I liked the way ICC delivered the instruction. They trained our workers on our equipment and left when the course work was done. If one session was more difficult, they stayed as long as required. The next, the lesson might go much faster and they would leave in an hour and one-half." Course work averaged two hours once a week during business hours (2-4 p.m.).

By the first week of March 1983, 25 secretaries and supervisory personnel had been trained in word processing. They met an average of two hours per week for eight weeks and earned one semester hour credit. For management personnel, there were two five-week sessions so a large proportion of management would not be tied up at the same time. Forty participants have completed the electronic worksheet course, a budgeting and planning tool, and earned one-half credit. Cost was based on the $16 per credit hour fee.

Tiemeier says the most important aspects of the ICC program were its flexibility, creativity and cost effectiveness. He suggests other businesses check out the resources of their local community college. He adds that "though every business doesn't have the luxury of having a training director, many business owners and managers might benefit from involvement in the American Society of Training and Development to assist with training needs."

Interestingly enough, ICC also benefitted from the training program. When working with new technologies, there is a thin line between teachers and learners; in order to do a complete job, it was necessary for ICC to purchase a CPM operating system and to train its own staff to use it. "We purchased a Radio Shack No. 16," Mudra explains, "so we could become fluent ourselves before training others. We have had many uses for this system, since it is compatible with so many others." Mudra also found it helpful to work with Tiemeier whom he credits with understanding employee needs and instituting some good teaching practices. These included having beginners work together on word-processing problems and setting up a lab in an office so that employees could familiarize themselves with microcomputers during lunch hours or other free time. Towards the end of the coursework, Mudra says, scheduling became a problem simply because employees become so eager to use the equipment.

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Pere Marquette Hotel

September 1, 1983, is the day the Pere Marquette Hotel opens — or more accurately, reopens — its doors. Built in 1926 as the Pere Marquette, this Peoria landmark was known most recently as the Peoria Hilton — until owners declared bankruptcy in early 1982. How Trans American Investment Property (TIP) through its INNCO Inc. arm, which oversees hotel properties, came to purchase the hotel is a story in itself.

Many factors influenced the decision, according to Daniel R. O'Malley, general manager of the Pere Marquette, "We came to Peoria at first because of the aggressive, effective approaches by Mayor Richard Carver and business leaders David Connor, president, and David Leitch, vice president, of Commercial National Bank. Once we got here we could see the city was working to improve and grow."

Also important were the hotel's downtown location and accessibility to the new Civic Center, its history as a Hilton and its reputation as the original Pere Marquette. "But the clincher," O'Malley says, "was its design. When TIP President David Aull first viewed the lobby, he was struck by how much it resembled the Waldorf Astoria in New York. 'How many chances do you get to buy the Waldorf?' was his immediate reaction."

O'Malley came on site September 7, 1982, to oversee the $19.4 million reconstruction effort which includes complete refurbishing of the 12-story hotel. Every room and suite are to be rebuilt, along with a new restaurant, cafe and lounge. Not counting construction workers, more than 250 employees will be needed when the Pere Marquette is completed; 167 of these jobs will be for hourly wage earners. The number of job openings elicited many calls from interested organizations. O'Malley's response was to ask these groups, including ICC, to work together on a plan for filling the jobs and training employees. As a result, representatives from the following organizations got together to devise a job training program: ICC; the Central Illinois Industrial Association, an organization of central Illinois businesses which specializes in industrial relations; the Peoria area CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act)* agency; the Peoria Economic Development Council, Inc.; the Peoria Private Industry Council, representatives from private industry who sit on

Because they have been a hybrid of academic and vocational education, community colleges are useful in providing instruction on an empirical, case-by-case basis

the CETA board; and the West Central Building Trades Council, a group of construction unions.

"What we're attempting to do is to sublimate our own special goals to find the most effective way to get the best employees for the hotel. It is exciting for all of us because we see this as a model for working with other new and existing businesses," says Robert J. Marcusse, executive vice president of the Peoria Economic Development Council Inc., speaking for the participants. One of the major goals of the plan, according to Marcusse, is to provide aid for the hiring and training of the 167 hourly employees to be hired by the Pere Marquette. It is hoped that most of these positions will be filled through CETA-sponsored programs because of the wage, salary and tax advantages for the hotel. Another goal is to ensure that as many jobs as possible go to Peoria, Woodford and Tazewell County residents.

ICC's role in the plan is to design a three-part training program for the 167 workers. This includes human relations skills, orientation to the hotel and hands-on training for each specific job.

If all 167 positions were to be filled through CETA and OJT (On the job Training), a program available to CETA-qualified employees, it is likely that ICC could provide all the pre-and post-employment training at no cost to the hotel management. This would save the corporation the cost of doing the training itself or contracting out to have it done. Another incentive to hire CETA-eligible employees is tax credits; $3,000 the first year for each person placed and $1,500 the second year,or a possible $501,000 in tax credits in 1984 and $250,500 in 1985. "Of course, the number of CETA employees hired remains to be seen," Marcusse says "But pre-screening has already begun and this will facilitate interviewing when the time comes. The plan is to present three pre-screened CETA-eligible interviewees for each position.

Marcusse, who held a similar position in Battle Creek, Mich., before coming to Peoria in 1982 to head the Economic Development Council, says that he is impressed with ICC's willingness to seek out innovative ways to train employees at the lowest possible cost. "I look at ICC and its facilities as an important marketing tool to attract new business to our area," he adds.

It would be a mistake to say that ICC or any other institution in Peoria can solve the city's economic problems, which are related to global and national as well as local conditions. Nevertheless, ICC's expanding role illustrates some of the potential the community college system has in this state. Because they have been a hybrid of academic and vocational education community colleges are useful in providing instruction on an empirical, case-by-case basis. In evaluating ICC's role with a number of area businesses, and groups, words like "flexible," "creative" and "cost effective" keep appearing to describe their services. One community's experiences with its college illustrates how important the community college concept is and can be to Illinois.□

*Effective October 1. the Comprehensive Employment Training Act win be replaced by the Job Training Partnership Act (see p. 29).

Norma Rossi is a free-lance writer residing in Peoria.

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