About This Site

Partners in Progress began by identifying an important need in the seven county Southwestern Illinois area – the need for developing a quality workforce by looking within our own community. The counties include Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington.

One of the problems in our area is “brain drain” – where our best and brightest workers leave the area to pursue careers elsewhere, even though there are jobs that need to be filled right here. The solution is to bring education together with business so that we tell the future generation that this is a great place to work, and train them in skills essential to maintaining a qualified workforce.

This website is one of the goals of Workforce 21 – the strategic plan to propel Southwestern Illinois into a competitive position in the global economy. Very simply, the site tells school officials what work-based employment opportunities are available in the area, and tells businesses what educational opportunities are available to build the future workforce.

The end result is a collective student body that is career-savvy, well trained and excited about making a career in our area. That’s good for business, and critical to the successful future of the region.