Sangamon Digest

The Springfield-based Illinois Manufacturers’ Association brought its “Makers on the Move” bus tour to the University of Illinois Springfield on Monday to promote UIS’s new Bachelor of Applied Science in engineering technology, Illinois Times and Capitol City Now report. Chancellor Janet Gooch said the program answers what employers say they need.

Dean Travis Bland said it uses a work-and-learn model so people who already have jobs can earn credit on the job while they upskill. IMA CEO Mark Denzler said manufacturing makes up 14% of the state’s economy. The tour plans about 40 stops this week; UIS says the degree launches in 2027.