Heartland unveils new electric vehicle training facility

The program offers certificates and degrees in electric vehicle energy storage (EVES). Gov. JB Pritzker, state officials, and other local leaders got to tour the facility Thursday. (Facebook/Governor JB Pritzker)

By WJBC Staff

BLOOMINGTON – Heartland Community College is showing off its new facility that will train students to work in the electric vehicle industry.

The program offers certificates and degrees in electric vehicle energy storage (EVES). Gov. JB Pritzker, state officials, and other local leaders got to tour the facility Thursday.

“This first of a kind program provides cutting edge training to develop new talent for the higher paying jobs of the future, and to enhance retention of manufacturers in the central part of the state, as well as our downstate communities,” said Heartland President Keith Cornille.

The first class of students is underway, learning in a facility with electric vehicles and specialized equipment donated by Rivian.

“It’s one of the reasons that in 2021 alone dozens of manufacturers like Rivian have either relocated to Illinois or expanded here,” said the governor.

The EVES Training Center is located at 1103 Martin Luther King Drive in Bloomington. There are plans for a new, larger space on the Heartland campus funded in part by a Rebuild Illinois capital grant.

WJBC News can be reached at [email protected]

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