Moraine Valley Community College has teamed up with Bedford Park-based ingredient manufacturer Ingredion to launch a manufacturing jobs boot camp, an initiative aimed at combatting misperceptions about modern manufacturing careers and building a pipeline of skilled workers for the southwest suburbs.
The partnership, announced in early September 2026, combines classroom instruction at Moraine Valley’s Palos Hills campus with hands-on training at Ingredion’s Bedford Park plant. Participants learn about industrial equipment, safety protocols, quality control, and the increasingly automated nature of modern food and ingredient manufacturing.
The program addresses a challenge facing manufacturers across the Chicago region: an aging workforce and a shortage of younger workers with the technical skills needed to operate increasingly sophisticated production lines. Many young adults hold outdated views of manufacturing as dirty, low-skilled work, when in fact modern facilities rely heavily on automation, data analytics, and precision instrumentation.
Ingredion, a Fortune 500 company that produces specialty ingredients for the food, beverage, and industrial sectors, operates one of its largest manufacturing facilities in Bedford Park. The company has been investing in workforce development as part of a broader strategy to ensure its local talent pipeline remains robust.
For Moraine Valley, the partnership represents an expansion of its career and technical education offerings. The community college has been building relationships with employers across the southwest suburbs to create training programs that lead directly to employment.
Participants who complete the boot camp are considered for positions at Ingredion and other regional manufacturers. The program also includes pathways to longer-term credentials and associate degrees for those who want to advance their careers.
The initiative reflects a broader trend in the Chicago area, where community colleges and employers are collaborating more closely to address skills gaps in manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare—sectors that remain central to the regional economy.
Sources: Chicago Tribune
