Macon County is known far and wide for its collaborative effort on behalf of its constituents and the programs that are provided. The unification of agencies and events along with the reduced duplication of services helps this area provide great activities that all can enjoy. The networking, connections and all hands working towards a shared goal showcase the successes of these opportunities.

Community Marketplace

Community Marketplace is an event showcasing any area by uniting business, labor, education, volunteerism, small business development, financial information and general networking for that community. This opportunity provides the general public an awareness of what is available in employment, apprenticeship-training-education opportunities, health sites, and community programs that are housed in the area. It is also a good way for businesses to find well trained individuals to fill their employment needs.

Presentations dealing with a diverse range of programs are also offered of the area, i.e. volunteerism, finances, business development.

Volunteer organizations, government offices, banking industries and counseling services exhibit information on handling financial affairs, participating in events, donating time and enjoying life in the community without spending too much for that privilege.

Health facilities, social service agencies and mental health counseling sites provide opportunities on what is available in the immediate area. Checking in on health, well-being and outlook on life is a way that the Community Marketplace can offer free information and education in many areas.

Construction Expo

This collaborative event was first hosted on October 6th and 7th, 2005 at the Macon County Fairgrounds and promises to be an annual event with the great success it had on its reception from the area school districts. The EXPO is an hands on program that showcases many different aspects of the construction industry including union labor, engineering, architecture, OSHA safety guidelines and measures, business management and related careers. It takes much more than a hammer pounding a nail to get a building erected and this event showcases as many of those careers and venues as possible for 7th grade students. Using business, labor and higher education sites to help make this well rounded event take off was a unique collaborative and one that promises to keep 7th graders more aware of the working world around them. The CED coordinator designed and implements this program through a community collaborative with union labor, government offices, local businesses and higher education training sites as well as other educational resources. For more information on this program please email the CED coordinator.

Engineer in the Classroom

EITC is just one of the curriculum driven programs for workforce exploration designed for 5th graders. The uniting of engineers and the students in the classroom setting for 6 weeks, is a powerful way to showcase engineering and its related fields to a younger age in a fun and hands-on way. The engineers teach basic engineering principles and how they relate to the learning that is currently going on in the classroom's math and science classes. This particular program aligns with the Illinois State Learning Standards and helps to facilitate a more cohesive way of learning about outside careers in a fashion that is considered applied learning. This program is guided by an engineering board with the local CED coordinator sitting as secretary of that board.