During the Fall 2022 semester, Rend Lake College hosted a large Industrial Maintenance Apprenticeship group from the biggest employer in the area, Continental Tire. For the Fall 2022 term, Continental Tire has hired 15 new Industrial Maintenance Apprentices.

Continental Tire expanded its footprint in Southern Illinois to attract talent. Through the Illinois Apprenticeship Expansion Grant, Rend Lake College and Kaskaskia College have blurred the community college district lines to help employers in Southern Illinois. With Continental Tire, for example, college professors and staff from Rend Lake College and Kaskaskia College worked together to align and ensure the curriculum in the Industrial Maintenance program at both institutions is identical and interchangeable. Timelines and student outcomes are matched so Student-Apprentices can take what they learn in the classroom to the job site regardless of the classroom location. This alliance allows students from both college districts to be in the same cohort group at Continental Tire as both colleges are giving the same experience at the same time. Students from both colleges are able to work alongside one another to ensure that they have similar experiences in the classroom and bring similar knowledge to the job site.

Continental Tire is reaching an even larger workforce area and talent pool. The Illinois Apprenticeship Expansion Grant touches the lives of many students enrolled in the Apprenticeship Program allowing for gainful employment while learning a trade. Forecasts continually show that skilled labor and trade jobs will be in demand in the coming years. Continental Tire is blazing a trail for other businesses to follow by offering this apprenticeship opportunity and providing these individuals the chance to receive a quality education from one of two institutions that are making strides in ensuring the education they provide is both relevant and invaluable in a job market that struggles to maintain a steady flow of talent.