Philosophy & Objectives

The Illinois Manufacturing Foundation (IMF) creates and operates - in collaboration with employers - education and training activities that develop in individuals the understanding, skills and attitudes needed for successful career employment.

IMF emphasizes fulfillment of the needs of both the employer and the individual student.

This emphasis is demonstrated in a variety of ways:

    sustained relationships with employers to assure that training is current & appropriate to job

       requirements;

    assistance in job placements;

    assistance to eligible students in locating financial aid to cover the cost of their education;

    training that develops the necessary skills, attitudes & knowledge for more than entry-level

       employment;

    completion of training in less than a year;

    assistance to students who have academic, personal or financial problems;

    assuring that each student is treated as an individual. 

IMF's efforts are channeled toward providing the training, assistance, and supportive services needed to prepare students to meet the employer's need for technically skilled employees in jobs that are both rewarding and the basis for a successful career.

IMF encourages its students to succeed in their life ambitions through improvement in basic academic skills, improvement in technical skills, employment, and career advancement.

The educational philosophy  developed over the past twenty years results in basic objectives which are to improve motivation, to develop sound work habits & attitudes, and to provide the technical skills & knowledge required to begin successful careers in the occupational field selected .

IMF's success depends on graduates reaching these goals and employers meeting their company needs through employment of successful graduates. 

Our Mission

IMF offers training to all persons, including economically disadvantaged Chicago residents and dislocated Chicago area workers.

IMF's vision of being the premier manufacturing workforce development organization in Illinois propels our mission: To provide manufacturing job skills training that enables manufacturing firms and the manufacturing workforce, present & future, to achieve sustainable advantage.

Our Mission impels us to embark on an organization-wide continuous improvement program. We question, seek, record, adopt, implement, and incorporate concepts, methods, policies, procedures and practices aimed at improving outcomes for customers (individuals & firms), funders, and the general public.

Company Profile

The Illinois Manufacturing Foundation is a non-profit organization formed to meet the needs of economically disadvantaged Chicago residents for stable, skilled, well-paying careers in manufacturing and the needs of the manufacturing sectors experiencing skilled labor shortages.

 IMF's central and animating concept is the close collaboration with manufacturing firms, trade and professional associations in a sector or field.

History

IMF was created in 2001 as a spin-off from Chicago Commons d/b/a Chicago Manufacturing Institute (CMI). CMI grew out of Chicago Commons Industrial & Business Training Programs, which began in 1981 to meet the needs of both economically disadvantaged Chicago residents for job skills training and the needs of Chicago area manufacturing firms for technically skilled production employees.

The first of CMI's training programs - the Automatic Screw Machine Setup/Operator Training Program - set the pattern for all of the CMI (now IMF) training programs: committed partnerships with manufacturing firm owners and manufacturing trade associations and focus on career-oriented technical training. After the screw machine training program was developed, owners & managers of manufacturing firms in other manufacturing sectors expressed an interest in hiring skilled production employees and prompted the development of training programs for Industrial Mechanical Inspectors, Industrial Maintenance Mechanics, Automatic Spring Coiling Setters and Operator, and Certified Electroplaters. Each training program, driven by manufacturing firms' need, developed curricula to train individuals in the skills most needed in each sector or field.

RMTC

The Regional Manufacturing Training Collaborative (RMTC) was formed in 1999.

It is a unique collaborative of award-winning community-based training providers, a University-based consortium and the City of Chicago Mayor's Office of Workforce Development (MOWD), established to address the training and development needs of the Chicago region's manufacturing industry, Chicago residents, and communities.

The Collaborative seeks to sustain the Chicago region as the country's acknowledged manufacturing leader by addressing the skill shortages within manufacturing. See our Skilled Labor Shortage section for more information.

As part of a $1,000,000 U.S. Department of Labor demonstration grant, the RMTC was able to hire staff, develop a structure and build membership interested in advocating for more skills training support and funding.

RMTC is seeking the support of local manufacturers, community organizations, labor organizations and other interested parties in order to become self-sustaining.

Accreditations

IMF has a Certificate of Approval to Operate issued by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Automatic Screw Machine and Certified Electroplating are Workforce Investment Act (WIA) certified training programs through the Chicago Workforce Board and MOWD.

Results of the candidate's Application for Admission, general and special assessments, and interviews will be evaluated by the Admission Committee. Candidates will be notified in writing of their acceptance in the program. The candidate may discuss his/her results with a staff person.

IMF reserves the right to make the final determination for acceptance into the program.

Open Entry Start Policy

Students may be placed in a class operating under the Open Entry Start Policy after the first day of class provided that such students show evidence that they can master the competency-based instructional methods in that class by:

1. taking and successfully passing examinations in the competency subject areas, or
2. presenting official transcripts from other institutions showing satisfactory completion of the subject matter in the other institution, or
3. presenting the Program Director with evidence of work experience, attested to by a former employer, of the student's knowledge of the subject area(s).

Instructors

IMF faculty have extensive industrial and business, as well as teaching experience. Instructors are seasoned veterans from each trade area with more than 20 years experience. They understand the needs of the employer and are committed to developing these skills and the attitudes that will ensure success in the workplace.

Placement

IMF's placement staff works with students individually to help them find and secure a job that suits their interests and skills. 

Contact Information