State apprenticeship program gets $4.7 million boost

A state apprenticeship program will be expanding, thanks to a $4.7 million government investment, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday.

The work-based training program is now on track to support 17,000 participants in 2020, Pritzker said — a record number. The new investment adds 14 new partners and expands experiences offered by 11 existing partners.

The $20 million Illinois apprenticeship program allows employees to receive training while working and earning a paycheck; the program also provides classroom instruction. The apprenticeships last one to four years.

The expansion has a “renewed focus” on equity, the governor said.

“It’s more important than ever to deliver program access to women, to people of color and to all who are too often left out and left behind,” Pritzker said. “These investments are a downpayment on the future of the state of Illinois.”

The new money comes from a $2.8 million U.S. Department of Labor grant and $1.9 million in discretionary workforce funds from the state.

Sen. Ann Gillespie (D-Chicago) said the expansion will help address a “shortage of skilled workers” in the state and across the nation.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

“Tech, manufacturing and healthcare are the fastest growing industries in Illinois, and they all use apprentices,” Gillespie said. “Apprenticeship is an affordable earn-as-you-learn alternative to higher ed and a pathway to careers that don’t require you to sit at a desk or in meetings most of the day.”

The funding will extend training opportunities to parts of Illinois that previously didn’t have training partners, including DeKalb, Rock Island, Springfield, Rockford, Moline and Sterling, Pritzker said. It’ll also expand opportunities in East St. Louis, Southern Illinois and Cook County.

“This program is growing jobs in every single one of those 10 economic development regions,” Pritzker said. “They’ll all receive a boost from this.”