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Study: Illinois pre-apprenticeships boost women, minorities in construction

Posted in:

• Illinois

* Sun-Times…

Programs to prepare workers for skilled trades apprenticeships have significantly boosted the number of women and people of color in Illinois’ construction workforce and also yield a big return on investment, according to a report released Wednesday.

In Illinois, enrollment in pre-apprenticeship training programs since 2017 has led to a 95% and 202% jump in the number of Black and female apprentices, respectively, according to research by the nonpartisan Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Project for Middle Class Renewal. […]

Researchers found that $66 million invested in the construction careers and IL Works pre-apprenticeships since 2017 translated into an investment of about $12,000 per program participant and $35,000 per placed apprentice.

For pre-apprentices who get jobs in the skilled trades, the programs yield a 900% return on grant investment over 10 years, in terms of their earnings. […]

More pre-apprenticeship hubs have been created as part of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, researchers noted. In 2024, they won nearly $40 million in grants for clean energy regional pre-apprenticeships and workforce hubs. Programs are run by community colleges and nonprofits such as 548 Foundation, which focuses on solar industry training.

* Related…

* Press Release | Governor Pritzker Announces Applications Open for Next Round of Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program: Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced applications are now open for the fifth round of the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program. The Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program provides training opportunities, expands the talent pipeline, and boosts diversity in the construction industry and building trades. Grantees will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process. […] This round of $25 million in funding will increase the representation of underrepresented groups – including people of color, veterans, and women in the construction trades. This round of Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program funding will fund up to 45 programs throughout the state including new grantees, serving nearly 2,000 residents.

* Shaw Local | Will County celebrates graduates of state training program that paves way for careers in trades: Almost 20 people have graduated from a pre-apprenticeship program in Will County that prepares them for union trade apprenticeships and construction project opportunities. The ceremony for 18 graduates of the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program was held Wednesday on the fifth floor of the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.

* WQAD | YWCA Quad Cities expands summer Pre-Apprenticeship Program for youth: The 13-week program is open to residents ages 16–24 and provides full or part-time employment at local businesses. All student wages are funded by the YWCA, easing the cost for employers and helping young people gain job experience. The first week’s focus on professional development, including résumé and cover letter writing, job readiness training, and career exploration. Participants also learn life skills such as budgeting, understanding insurance and employee benefits, and how to open a bank account through workshops and guest speakers.

posted by Isabel Miller
Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 11:59 am

Comments

1. Guess it’s time for the Republicans to start tearing that down too.

   Comment by Horace Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 12:03 pm

2. Critical to the trades being able to find enough workers–finding them in different populations of people over time will make the trades and the unions stronger.

   Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 12:17 pm

3. If you know a young person who doesn’t want to go to college please steer them toward the trades. We cannot hire them fast enough.

   Comment by Excitable Boy Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 12:47 pm

4. My friend’s son in the NW suburbs can’t get into the electrical apprentice program. He’s tried several times, but keeps getting told that “we’re full”.

   Comment by Downstate Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 12:57 pm

5. EB–Not in IL, but that’s part of my job (I know you weren’t talking specifically to me)

   Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 1:10 pm

6. Downstate–in the Crystal Lake location? (that reads weird).

   Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 1:37 pm

7. All of the locals in “downstate Illinois” are taking people. Some are taking more than others. Locals will only activate applicants as they have work or a contractor needs them. I know my unions training centers are doing interviews 4-5 days a week all month long with anywhere from 12-20 interviews each day at two different locations.

   Comment by Jr. Neef Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 1:59 pm

8. Given the demographics of the NW burbs I wouldn’t be shocked if their numbers are better than other training centers in terms of having enough students.

   Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 2:06 pm

9. Very nice. It’s why relocating corporations love Illinois and Chicago metro: workforce development. It’s past due to help women and POC in the trades.

   This must infuriate Republicans, the reddest of meat for the base. They are fighting a war against DEI and climate science and policy.

   Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 2:19 pm

10. DCEO has used federal Dept of Labor funds for apprenticeship training for many years. Good to see this is getting more attention. I haven’t heard but I imagine that this federal funding is in danger along with many other programs.

    Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 2:59 pm

11. Bob, From what I’ve seen this particular funding is relatively stable though I would expect the Labor Department will deemphasize the specific focus on women and underrepresented populations. And this can change any moment, of course.

    Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 3:06 pm

12. The programs examined by this report, which I believed were created prior to CEJA, certainly seem to be working. But some of the CEJA training programs are not faring as well. The below Trib story from earlier this summer reports that the CEJA training hubs have only produced 94 graduates, despite receiving $30 million in grants.Senator Bryant brought this up in an Energy Committee hearing earlier this week.

    https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/23/clean-energy-job-training-illinois/

    Comment by SD Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 3:21 pm

13. SD,
    I think it’s useful to align expectations with the calendar. The CEJA pre-apprenticeship training programs started offering training in Fall, 2024. 94 graduates looks to represent the number of people in the first cohort of a brand new program. The article references 594 people still in training as of May. Those are near term future graduates too. They are just starting year 2 of a 3 year grant so both the pipeline and graduates numbers are likely to grow. $30 million is also funding for 3 years and they’ve only completed 1 year.

    Comment by SWIL_Voter Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 4:05 pm

14. =This must infuriate Republicans=

    Yes, they are so infuriated! They hate women and POC. Great post. Very thought provoking and insightful. Can’t wait to see your next post.

    Comment by Just a Random Guy Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 4:08 pm

15. Just a Random Guy,
    Go check what the Republicans are saying about it on Chicago Sun Times Facebook post with this article. Here are 2 of my favorite:

    -“no skills needed, just woke equity”
    -“here we go again with the people of color, to hell with anyone else.”

    So yea, they seem mad

    Comment by SWIL_Voter Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 4:21 pm

16. The construction trades lost an entire generation after the 2007-08 market crash (and the resulting shrinkage of work). It’s not just enough to fund massive infrastructure programs, its important to develop the pipeline, from middle school onward, and to facilitate a steady stream of work. Renewable-energy facilities, server farms (a/k/a data centers), battery plants, and chip plants are all competing for the same construction tradespeople.

    Comment by Ares Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 4:24 pm

17. –So yea, they seem mad

    In fairness, several seem to be native Russian speakers.

    Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Aug 20, 25 @ 5:13 pm

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Previous Post: It’s now a law
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Last 10 posts:

• Isabel’s afternoon roundup (08-20)
• Unclear on the concept (except for the coverage angle) (Updated x2) (08-20)
• Study: Illinois pre-apprenticeships boost women, minorities in construction (08-20)
• It’s now a law (08-20)
• Rate Willie Preston's launch video (08-20)
• Consumers Are Getting Slammed With Higher Electric Rates – Don’t Add Fuel To The Fire With ROFR (08-20)
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