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QUINCY, ILL. -- Unemployment numbers across West Central Illinois are down again.

They've dropped more than a percentage point in both Adams County and Quincy.

This time last year, the unemployment rate in Adams County stood at 6.7%. Now, that number is 5.5%.

"Central location is critical in the United States of America. Being near the Mississippi River is critical because it allows for us to do a lot of different types of businesses that other communities and counties may not be able to do," says Great River Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Jim Mentesti.

But that's not all Mentesti believes has contributed to lower unemployment numbers.

"They don't have to go a great distance away. They don't have to go to a Champaign-Urbana, or the Quad Cities, or  Columbia, Missouri to be re-tooled and re-trained," says Mentesti.

Three hundred students now come to the Workforce Development center for certificate training every year.

"They had resources, we had the knowledge on how to train and equip people on how to do the job. So, we all came together. We created the programs, the students came here, and they found the skills," says John Wood Community College President Tom Klincar.

Klincar worked with area employers as the economy started to tank to see where their needs were. Then, they created the programs out of growing industries.

"Our competitiveness in the world starts right here at home. We're not training people to go to other cities, other areas. We're the community's college," says Klincar.

And the community will continue to see the benefits as more people get trained in different fields, and the development center expands.

Quincy's unemployment rate dropped from 7.5% down to 6%.

Brown County has the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3.6%.