MOUNT VERNON, Ill. (November 26, 2024) — Rend Lake College celebrated the opening of the Southern Illinois Manufacturing Academy (SIMA) with a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon at the RLC MarketPlace in Mt. Vernon.
RLC President Terry Wilkerson spoke about the origins of the project — conversations that started things moving more than two years ago, and securing $5 million in federal funding.
"We formed partnerships along the way," Wilkerson said. "Rend Lake College extended our hand to work with Kaskaskia College and with Southeastern, and they decided to partner up. We had the confidence to work together and move our region forward."
RLC Executive Vice President Lori Ragland opened the press conference, welcoming those in attendance and speaking about the layout of the facility, and how the introduction of SIMA is a significant milestone for Southern Illinois, bringing both educational and economic value to the region.
“The new facility will play a crucial role in filling the skills gap and preparing workers for well-paying, in-demand jobs,” Ragland said. “It will serve new and incumbent workers through hands-on application to validate learned skills and will include a working manufacturing environment where participants will demonstrate competencies based on industry criteria.”
The ceremony was followed by a showcase of SIMA, RLC programs, and Confection Connection where attendees were treated to all sorts of chocolate fare, made on-the-spot.
SIMA is a state-of-the-art academy that covers nearly 22,000 square feet and includes advanced training for electronics, robotics, programmable logic controllers, pneumatics, machining, welding, wiring, power & controls, MSSC certifications, SACA certifications, forklift operator certification, production skills, OSHA, employability skills and sustainable energy & logistics (coming soon).
In June 2022, Rend Lake College was awarded a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) to construct SIMA. This academy is funded under EDA’s American Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance program. Grant awards under this program help hundreds of communities across the nation plan, build, innovate and put people back to work through construction or non-construction projects designed to meet local needs.
One of the standout features of SIMA is the integration of a chocolate production facility, called Confection Connection. Students will experience the entire production process from raw ingredients to finished products, providing a cross-disciplinary approach that blends culinary arts with manufacturing.
“Our goal at the SIMA Confection Connection is to enable students to understand the Manufacturing process from start to finish,” said Chef Instructor Jeff Fairbanks. “We will include training on industrial safety, sanitation and hygiene, automated machinery, teamwork and manufacturing from purchasing to shipping.”
Fairbanks said training on food safety and the science of chocolate will be "from bean to bar" with a "focus on the quality control aspect in every step of the operation.”
For more information about the Southern Illinois Manufacturing Academy, please contact Christopher Sink, SIMA Director, at (618) 437-5321 ext. 1798, or visit rlc.edu/sima.
Special thanks: U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, Greater Egypt Regional Planning & Development Commission, Castle Ridge Director Greg Sutton, Eggemeyer Associate Architects, Bevis Construction, Inc., and the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce.