The statistics are daunting. Once considered a land of opportunity, Illinois is losing population at a record rate. People are leaving in search of jobs, lower taxes and a better quality of life. According to the Illinois Census Bureau, from July 2016 to July 2017, 83 of 102 Illinois counties lost population, primarily in the rural areas served by the state’s electric and telephone cooperatives.
For the 2019-2020 school year, the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship will welcome 10 new CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) Programs into its network, growing the CEO Program to a total of 51 CEO communities across the United States, in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Colorado and Alabama.
The West Prairie School District in Illinois is launching a new CEO program to add to its high school curriculum. The lessons will teach soft skills, finance and entrepreneurship basics, and will include field trips to local businesses to help students gain a better understanding of the local job market.
While most high school students are thinking about school supplies, classes and extracurricular activities, CEO students of Union County are thinking about what it looks like to step into the business world and life after high school.
GIBSON CITY — Early on in his presentation Thursday to Gibson City business leaders about the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship’s Prairielands CEO program, Austin Brooks showed a video of one of the program’s former participants.