Education & Workforce Development
Tuscola’s location provides exceptional, convenient access to an extensive array of educational and training opportunities.
Tuscola is nearly equidistant from Charleston-Mattoon, home to Eastern Illinois University and Lake Land College; Decatur, home to Millikin University and Richland Community College; and Champaign-Urbana, home to the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and Parkland College.
Tuscola’s centralized location in East Central Illinois provides for a significant amount of skilled workers within a 40 mile radius of the community. Proximity to several major universities and community colleges gives local employers access to extensive potential employees and wide ranging training capabilities for new and existing workers.
Tuscola Chamber and Economic Development, Inc. (TCED) facilitates introductions for local business and industry to representatives of the area’s community colleges and workforce development resources. The existence of three high quality community colleges within 30 minutes provides employers with access to customizable employee training and learning resources.
TCED further supports the work of the East Central Illinois (eci) Super Region Coalition. The Coalition is comprised of leaders from six community colleges, economic and workforce development agencies, K-12 education, regional planning commissions, area manufacturers and many more technology trades stakeholders. The Coalition is focused on workforce preparedness and providing employers with a trained industrial workforce. More information on the group can be found on their website.
East Central Illinois workNet
East Central Illinois workNet is the regional public workforce system. Any resident can receive assistance with learning about local industries, using technology to conduct a job search, applying for a job, updating a resume, and preparing for a job interview. Job training grants, including tuition payments and supportive services, are available to low-income and skill-deficient residents, including out-of-school youth without a diploma or GED, and adult learners. We also support employers with matching grants for upskilling workers. If you are struggling to get a job or build a career, stop by our office in Tuscola. For more information visit their website at www.eciwork.net or contact the Douglas County Team representative, Danielle Cruzan at 217-253-7555 or by email to dcruzan@ccrpc.org .
Tuscola participates in the Douglas County CEO Program. As the program website states, "Entrepreneurship education seeks to prepare people, especially youth, to be responsible, enterprising individuals who become entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial thinkers and contribute to economic development and sustainable communities. The CEO program is much more than a textbook course. Rather, students are immersed in real life learning experiences with the opportunity to take risks, manage the results, and learn from the outcomes."
Tuscola Schools - District 301
Tuscola is fortunate to be home to an exceptional local school district for K-12 education. With all grade levels physically located within Tuscola, and on the same street, parents take comfort in meeting the educational goals of their children without a long commute to school. Our school district has the support of our community with many volunteer programs focused on providing for student needs, as well as a very active alumni association, proving long lasting school spirit! Tuscola High School sports and extra curricular activities provide a wonderful array of "out of the classroom" education, while drawing visitors from the region to see great teams take the field.