Prairie Land FAME

05/20/2026

We’re excited to share that FAME Cohort 2 will be announced soon! 🎉

This next group means even more students gaining hands-on experience, building skills, and growing through the program. We can’t wait to welcome them and see what they accomplish.

05/07/2026

We wrapped up another big milestone with our first Prairie Land FAME cohort today! 🎉 Students presented safety improvement ideas shaped by both their coursework and hands-on experience with their sponsoring employers.

Each presentation showed real growth, confidence, and attention to detail. It was great to see such strong support in the room.

Great work to our students on completing their second semester. We’re looking forward to what they accomplish next! 👏

04/13/2026

🚨 NEW STUDENT SPONSOR ALERT! 🚨

Prairie Land FAME is excited to welcome Caterpillar for the 2026 cohort! Caterpillar joins an already strong group of local employer partners. Students in the Prairie Land FAME program have the opportunity to work with a sponsoring employer while earning an associate degree at Richland Community College.

Read the message below to learn more about Caterpillar and what they offer to students in our program.

Ready to take the next step with Prairie Land FAME? Apply today: https://fame-usa.com/.../illinois-fame/prairie-land-chapter/.
🌐

04/01/2026

Last call! ⏰

The application deadline for the Prairie Land FAME program is almost here! Don’t miss your chance to earn a degree while gaining real-world experience with local employers.

Apply now and take the next step toward your future with this link: https://fame-usa.com/fame-program-locations/illinois-fame/prairie-land-chapter/. 🌐

03/11/2026

The first group of Prairie Land FAME students has reached the midpoint of their second semester! 🎉

Since last fall, they’ve been living the earn-and-learn experience by working in local manufacturing while earning their college degree and building real-world skills. 📖👷

Interested in joining the next Prairie Land FAME class? Applications are open now, and we’re excited to welcome the next group of students ready to start their careers.

Learn more and apply: https://fame-usa.com/fame-program-locations/illinois-fame/prairie-land-chapter/ 🌐

02/11/2026

✨ Thank you to everyone who joined us for Prairie Land FAME’s Family Recruitment Night! ✨

Last night, students and families came together at Richland Community College to learn how Prairie Land FAME blends college coursework with paid, hands-on experience at leading local employers. The energy in the room, the thoughtful questions, and the genuine interest in the program made the evening a big success.

It was great meeting so many future FAME students and seeing the support from families as they explored what an earn-and-learn pathway can look like. We appreciate everyone who took the time to attend and engage with us. 🤝

➡️ If you were not able to attend or if you are ready to take the next step, complete the online application and begin your Prairie Land FAME journey today with this link: https://fame-usa.com/fame-program-locations/illinois-fame/prairie-land-chapter/.

02/03/2026

Just one week to go! ⏰

Family Recruitment Night with Prairie Land FAME is almost here!

📅 February 10th, 2026
🕔 5:00pm-7:00pm
📍 3357 N President Howard Brown Blvd, Decatur, IL 62521

Come learn how you can earn $18+/hour, get hands-on experience, and work toward a college degree!

01/22/2026

Prairie Land FAME was featured on Workforce Wednesday with WAND! 🎥

Click the link to hear from current student Kyle Miller as he shares his experience in the program so far.

Click here to view this video from WAND.

12/11/2025

Today we celebrated an important milestone for our first Prairie Land FAME cohort! Students presented safety improvement ideas based on their classroom learning and on-the-job experience with sponsoring employers.

Their presentations were excellent, and we appreciated the strong attendance.

Congratulations to our students on a successful first semester. We look forward to their continued growth! 👏

12/03/2025

Apply NOW to Prairie Land FAME ‼️

Prairie Land FAME is an earn-and-learn program where students earn an associate degree from Richland Community College while gaining hands-on experience with one of our sponsoring employers.

Learn more and apply for the 2026 cohort here: https://fame-usa.com/fame-program-locations/illinois-fame/prairie-land-chapter/. 😄