CEJA Curriculum Framework Revision: Voices from the Northern Illinois Roundtable

On March 11, 2026, EnergySense Resilience Center and the Illinois Broadband Lab co-facilitated the first regional focus groups to support DCEO’s efforts to update and revise the Illinois Clean Jobs Curriculum Framework. Hosted during the Northern Illinois Roundtable at HIRE360 in Chicago, the sessions brought together nearly 50 CEJA training providers and employer-focused grantees from across the Northern Illinois region to provide critical feedback on the current curriculum framework and identify emerging workforce needs.

Why This Matters

The Clean Jobs Curriculum Framework is the backbone of Illinois’ clean energy workforce development strategy. Since its creation in 2023, the clean energy landscape has shifted: new technologies have emerged, job market demands have evolved, and grantees have gained invaluable frontline experience. This revision project ensures the framework remains responsive, practical, and aligned with real-world employer needs.

What We Heard

Participants provided candid feedback on the framework’s practical implementation, highlighting challenges, usability issues, skill priorities, regional labor-market differences (e.g., Chicagoland vs. Central and Southern Illinois), and the vital role of bridge programs in preparing learners for job-specific training. Employers identified urgent needs for technical skills and certifications—differentiating must-haves from on-the-job training—and emphasized the importance of soft skills, digital literacy, emerging industries such as EV infrastructure, and evolving certification standards essential to workforce readiness.

What’s Next

These focus groups represent the first of several regional sessions planned through spring 2026. Feedback gathered in Northern Illinois will be synthesized alongside insights from Central and Southern Illinois, regional grant administrators, DCEO leadership's internal perspectives, continued employer engagement, and other key stakeholders and clean energy employers. This feedback loop will directly inform a revised framework that reflects 2026 clean energy employment realities, is easy for grantees to implement and adapt, responds to the specific skills and competencies employers are hiring for, and acknowledges the distinct opportunities and challenges across Illinois. The revised framework will enable CEJA grantees to better serve their learners and position Illinois as a national leader in clean energy workforce development.

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EnergySense Resilience Center and Illinois Broadband Lab are partnering with DCEO to advance this critical work. For more information on the curriculum revision project or to participate in upcoming focus groups, contact energysense-info@illinois.edu.