For the past four years, EdSystems and the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) Foundation have partnered on the Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (STAMP) initiative. Funded through a Job Training and Economic Development (JTED) grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity alongside philanthropic support from The Chicago Community Trust, STAMP builds rigorous advanced manufacturing pathways across 19 Illinois school districts.
A new, cumulative four-year data brief, authored by Sr. Director of Data Benjamin Boer and Research Data Analyst Rouzbeh Rahai, tracks the journey of 10,424 unique student participants and evaluates the profound impact of targeted pathway supports.
Key Findings: Equity at the Center of Credential Attainment
The four-year dataset reveals a powerful trend: students facing high economic barriers are leading the way in earning industry credentials:
- Outsized success for high-needs students: While students with high economic needs make up 45% of total STAMP participants, they account for 69% of all credential earners.
- Higher likelihood of success: Students with high economic needs are 1.6 times more likely to earn a credential than the overall student population.
- Consistent cross-demographic impact: This high-needs advantage holds true across the state’s major racial and ethnic groups, with credential attainment ranging from 12% to 15% among Black, Latinx, and white students with high economic needs
Translating Credentials to Lifetime Earnings
Manufacturing credentials provide a proven catalyst for immediate economic mobility. Applying Census Bureau estimates of a $2,000 annual earnings premium over a 30-year career ($60,000 per earner), the impact is significant:
- The 964 students who have earned credentials to date represent $57.8 million in potential additional lifetime earnings.
- Of that total, $40 million flows directly to students with high economic needs, including $4.4 million specifically for high-needs Black and Latina female credential earners.
Looking Ahead
With industry growth outpacing available talent—and historic shifts like the expansion of federal Workforce Pell Grants for short-term training—programs like STAMP demonstrate how targeted state and philanthropic investments can simultaneously support local manufacturers and narrow multi-generational income disparities.
Building on these four years of success, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association has been awarded the next JTED cohort. Combined with a renewed gift from The Chicago Community Trust, these braided funds will power the next phase of STAMP—with an intentional focus on expanding and deepening advanced manufacturing pathways across Chicagoland school districts.
