Noncredit Strategies at Work (NSAW) Grant

The Noncredit Strategies at Work (NSAW) Grant, offered by the Illinois Community College Board, aims to enhance noncredit workforce training at community colleges. With $110,000 in funding for each college, the initiative focuses on developing training programs that lead to industry-recognized certifications and short-term credentials. This grant seeks to address employer needs and workforce shortages by strengthening the capacity of community colleges to deliver effective noncredit training solutions, ultimately benefiting over 500,000 Illinois residents annually.

Illinois Community College Board
In 1965, the Illinois General Assembly established the Illinois Community College Board to create a system of public community colleges that would be accessible to every resident. More than 50 years later, the Illinois Community College System is the third largest system in the United States, with 48 colleges and one multi-community college center throughout Illinois. The community colleges serve over 500,000 Illinois residents each year in credit and noncredit courses and serve many more through public service programs.
The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) is inviting community colleges to apply for the Noncredit Strategies at Work Grant. The ICCB will provide $110,000 in funding to each community college to support noncredit training and business solution initiatives. For the purposes of this NOFO, noncredit workforce training is defined as training, not tied to college credit hours, that results in short-term certificates, industry-recognized certification, or other occupational credentials and excludes developmental education, youth programs, community enrichment, adult education, and English language acquisition. For the purposes of this NOFO, noncredit workforce training does encompass vocational skills courses (PCS 1.6), if that course or set of courses culminates in a certificate, industry-recognized certification, or other occupational credential.
The purpose of this grant initiative is to increase responsiveness to employer needs and workforce shortages through building capacity and strengthening the impact of noncredit workforce training at community colleges.