It’s not that Illinois Senators don’t want to see Southern Illinois University spin its two campuses off. It’s that they are a bit confused about the plan to make it happen

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

MARION — Southern Illinois Healthcare broke ground Wednesday on a new blended Urgent Care and WORKCare clinic at 2804 East Outer Drive in Marion (just south of the Walmart parking lot).

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

Democrats on Wednesday pulled the plug on efforts to override Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a bill to license gun shops, demonstrating the difficulties of passing gun control legislation in a state where attitudes break not only along political lines but also regional ones.

Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.

Illinois lawmakers want to lock in raises for more than 28,000 union members through 2022 at an estimated cost of more than $800 million.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

The private companies that have stepped in to pay the state’s bills say they aren’t getting promised interest payments on time.

Taxpayers are on the hook for nearly half a billion dollars in interest because of late bills and if it’s not paid, vendors that take on the debt say the liquidity program could collapse.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Put down the phone while driving.

The Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Police are promoting Distracted Driving Awareness Week in Illinois.

That means drivers will see a lot more police officers out on the roads, looking to make sure that they are paying attention behind the wheel.

Here’s the link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Gov. Rauner advocates innovative apprenticeship models

NEUSTADT – Gov. Bruce Rauner, in a push for stronger apprenticeship programs in Illinois, met with company leaders, apprentices and students at the BBZ Neustadt am Rübenberge.  The world-renowned vocational school and professional training center located in the Hannover region has been preparing students for the workforce for 150 years.

“I firmly believe that to strengthen Illinois’ economy we need to attract and retain skilled labor,” Rauner said. “In order to do that, we need to invest more in training and invest in our young people. Illinois has the talent and the innovative ideas that if cultivated have the potential to produce great things.”

Nearly half a million Germans enter the workforce through apprenticeship programs each year which many have noted is a major component in the country’s success in the manufacturing industry.

Rauner toured the school and learned about several of their models, including the Smart Factory Concept and strategic automotive innovation, which he hopes to incorporate into Illinois’ growing programs. To coincide with the governor’s meeting, Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti visited one of those programs: YouthBuild McLean County, an apprenticeship effort in Normal, IL that provides 85 young people with training in construction, healthcare and information technology.

“Apprenticeship programs like YouthBuild create a supportive environment for students to succeed in Illinois and become leaders,” Sanguinetti said. “It’s a great program that gives young people hands on training while they are giving back to their communities.”

For every four people who leave the trades, due to retirement, health or other reasons, only one new person is supplied by apprenticeship programs to enter the trades. The governor hopes by strengthening our apprenticeship programs we can reduce turnover, improve recruitment and create a pipeline of skilled employees.

Middle skill jobs make up the largest part of Illinois’ labor market. The demand is strong for middle skill jobs and they make up the largest part of Illinois’ labor market. By 2024, 50% of all job openings are expected to be middle-skill jobs. And community college graduates are a key component of a strong competitive workforce.

“I think there is no substitute for the real world experience and hands on application that apprenticeships provide,” said President Terry Wilkerson of Rend Lake College. “This experience reinforces the skill sets provided by the college in the classroom.”

“The relevance of apprenticeships is embodied in the contextualization of the classroom experience in the real world context of working, so what has been the theoretically becomes much more relevant,” said President Kenneth Ender of Harper College.

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s current trip to Germany and Poland could result in economic development for Southern Illinois, the governor said Monday morning.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

House Speaker Michael Madigan was re-elected Monday to his position as head of Illinois’ Democratic Party, as expected.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.