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State and local officials cut the ribbon on the training
facility this week to serve Montgomery and Macoupin counties.
Litchfield Mayor Steve Daugherty said the new facility will be
instrumental in training the next generation of workers.
“All the way down to kindergarten, we’re going to teach kids the
importance of going to work and the ability to succeed,”
Daugherty said.
McKay Auto Parts President Earl Flack said the workers coming
out of the facility will be invaluable to the business
community.
“Between 2022 and 2026, there will be a 1 million technician
shortage, 1 million. That’s in the automotive, the diesel, the
collision and aviation. So you talk about a growing field, we’re
in a growing field right here,” Flack said. “And what’s more
complicated than a car and truck that’s got several cameras on
today, so the technician need is real.”
Litchfield School Board President Julie Abel said the new
facility is born out of the education, business and labor
sectors coming together.
“Your dedication and relentless pursuit of the successful
completion of this project is admirable and will leave a lasting
impact for students, local businesses and the communities
located in south central Illinois,” Abel said.
Longtime education administrator and member of the Illinois
State Board of Education Roger Eddy, said without such
collaboration, a vision for the center wouldn't have amounted to
much.
“Thomas Edison famously stated ‘vision without execution is
hallucination,’” Eddy said. “There’s no hallucination here. This
is real.”
The facility will train both high school students as well as
displaced workers in various trades with a full-scale automotive
garage, welding center and separate areas to train on other
skills.
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