Workforce readiness was the topic of the afternoon as U.S. Senator Richard Durbin met Wednesday with a local coalition of civic, business and educational leaders who have been working to accomplish just that.

The Elgin Development Group, part of the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce, coordinated the meeting, which included a tour of Hoffer Plastics, a South Elgin injection molding firm and a business participant in the workforce development initiative.

The group updated Durbin on the challenges and successes of School District U-46 and Elgin Community College in coordinating with each other and area businesses to raise the bar when it came to the ability of graduates to secure employment in a market that is increasingly dependent on high academic and technical skills.