City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) Chancellor Cheryl Hyman announced Tuesday a new partnership that will give CCC students the opportunity to apply for 50 guaranteed, reserved spots per year in the University of Illinois Chicago’s (UIC) nationally renowned College of Nursing. This partnership is part of the CCC College to Careers initiative, which fosters innovative approaches to ensure that Chicago’s college students are prepared for jobs in high-growth industries.

Nine additional new or enhanced CCC degree and certificate programs were also introduced in both the healthcare and the transportation, distribution and logistics (TDL) fields. These programs are the product of months of collaboration between CCC faculty and staff and the College to Careers industry partners.

In Chicago, 84,000 jobs in the healthcare industry are projected to become available during the next ten years, 15,000 jobs in nursing alone. There are currently opportunities for nurses holding two-year degrees, which are offered through CCC, but increasingly nurses may be required to hold an RN-BSN bachelor’s degree in order to practice. With this new partnership, 50 CCC students and alumni have spaces reserved in UIC’s College of Nursing Online RN to BSN program every year.