MALTA – Kishwaukee College and area manufacturers got a $609,000 boost to provide hands-on training for a growing number of jobs that require advanced technical skills.

Kishwaukee College in Malta partnered with 20 other Illinois community colleges, including Harper College in Palatine, which led the charge in expanding its Advanced Manufacturing Training Program throughout the state.

Karen Schmitt, executive director of the Center for Business Development and Continuing Education, said grant funds will fuel the Automated Engineering Technology program over four years. She hopes the program will help close what she called the “skill gap.”