May 8, 2025 – The Prairie Land Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) Decatur chapter, in partnership with Workforce Investment Solutions, ADM, GSI, Mueller and Richland Community College, welcomed its first cohort of Participants with a special signing day ceremony on Thursday.
Joining ADM will be Carter Peck of Eisenhower High School, Chad Castleman of Sangamon Valley High School, Andrew Wheeler of Heartland Tech and Warrensburg, and Brian Lofton and Dayaan Malik, both graduates of the industrial skills training program at RCC.
Joining GSI will be Gabe Rigsby of Meridian and Jason Loftus, a graduate of the highway construction careers program through Heartland Tech and CNC and pre-engineering studies at RCC.
Joining Mueller will be Kyle Miller of Meridian.
The Prairie Land FAME program is an innovative approach designed to establish a robust pipeline of highly skilled professionals tailored to meet the evolving demands of the manufacturing industry in central Illinois.
An earn and learn training program, Prairie Land FAME offers a comprehensive pathway for high school students to achieve an Associate of Applied Science in Engineering Technology from Richland Community College while working three days a week, earning $18.00-plus an hour.
