The 2026 "Makers on the Move" statewide bus tour began its final day on the road Friday at Richard J. Daley College in Chicago, capping a 2,000-mile run with more than 30 stops across Illinois, organizers said.
The tour is hosted each October by the Illinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA) and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) to celebrate Manufacturing Month. Now in its fifth year, the tour launched Oct. 2 in Decatur and made stops at manufacturing facilities, educational institutions and community centers to highlight careers in manufacturing and offer a look at high-tech, clean and sustainable manufacturing environments.
The Friday stop at Daley College included a tour of the Manufacturing Technology Engineering Center (MTEC), where students gain hands-on experience in computer-integrated manufacturing, robotics and factory automation, according to the release. The release said the MTEC is the only center of its type that holds the industrial equipment students need to be "work-ready on day one."
"The past week has been an incredible experience as manufacturers across the state opened their doors to showcase the amazing products, skilled workforce and high-tech environments that comprise modern manufacturing in Illinois," said Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the IMA. "The time is now for the younger generation to utilize the many opportunities available to pursue stable and rewarding careers in this exciting industry."
Daley College President Isacc Zúñiga said the college was honored to be featured. "This recognition highlights the tireless dedication of our exceptional faculty and staff, who prepare our students for the needs of the ever-evolving modern workforce," he said.
The numbers
Manufacturing is the largest contributor of any industry to the state's gross domestic product, generating more than $580 billion for the Illinois economy each year, according to the release. The industry directly employs 662,298 workers and supports as many as 1,771,928 jobs — nearly a third of all jobs in Illinois.
Nationally, there are 580,000 open jobs in manufacturing, including tens of thousands of available jobs in Illinois, the release said. The IMA and IMEC said they are working with employers, educators and lawmakers on policies to attract and retain a skilled workforce, including a new law to increase student access to career and technical education and funding to expand manufacturing training academies at community colleges.
"Manufacturers across Illinois are powerhouses of innovation and resiliency," said Dan Hofmann, interim president of IMEC. "Their innovation continues to transform those challenges into investment."
Sarah Hartwick, senior vice president and corporate board secretary for the IMA and executive director of the IMA Foundation, said opportunity was the guiding theme of this year's tour. "There are more jobs available in manufacturing than ever before, with a variety of pathways and training programs available to prepare students for meaningful careers," she said.
How to learn more
Additional information about "Makers on the Move," including a full list of stops, is available at makersonthemove.org.
Richard J. Daley College is City Colleges of Chicago's Center of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing programs, and manufacturing classes are also offered at its satellite campus, the Arturo Velasquez Institute. City Colleges of Chicago is enrolling for its fall eight-week, winter four-week and spring 16-week sessions. The fall eight-week session begins Oct. 19, 2026.
According to the IMEC website, the center is marking 30 years of helping Illinois manufacturers, and in 2025 it assisted 3,742 companies and helped create or retain 6,871 jobs, generating more than $905 million in economic impact across the state.
Source: the original release