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1    AN ACT concerning government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Apprenticeship Study Act.
 
6    Section 5. Findings and purpose. The General Assembly finds
7the following:
8        (1) our State has the unfortunate distinction of
9    ranking second in youth unemployment and also has one of
10    the highest unemployment rates in the country for people of
11    color of all ages;
12        (2) employers from a range of sectors struggle to fill
13    positions that require more training than a high school
14    diploma, but less than a college degree;
15        (3) apprenticeship programs help address these needs
16    by allowing employers to secure the talent they need while
17    providing apprentices a debt-free pathway to a career and
18    credentials, with 91% of apprentices remaining employed at
19    a median salary of $50,000;
20        (4) our State has over 15,000 Registered Apprentices,
21    but the demographics of these apprentices do not mirror the
22    diversity of Illinoisans in that only 28% of Registered
23    Apprentices are people of color, only 4% of Registered

 

 

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1    Apprentices are women; and the vast majority (82%) of
2    apprenticeship programs are concentrated in the
3    construction and trade industries;
4        (5) intentionally targeting industries that appeal to
5    diverse populations could increase not only the number of
6    apprentices in this State, but increase the diversity of
7    those who identify as apprentices;
8        (6) there are significant possibilities for growing
9    apprenticeship into an inclusive workforce strategy for
10    Illinois, but to build a foundation for success, we need to
11    understand what apprenticeship programs exist, how they
12    are funded, and the barriers employers face to launching
13    quality apprenticeship programs; and
14        (7) the purpose of this study is to build such a
15    foundation for successful apprenticeship growth, and this
16    study is needed to assess what the future may hold for
17    expansion of apprenticeship in Illinois.
 
18    Section 10. Apprenticeship Study.
19    (a) There is hereby created the Apprenticeship Study.
20    (b) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
21shall conduct a study on the potential expansion of
22apprenticeship programs in this State and produce a report on
23its findings. The report shall include, but not be limited to,
24the following:
25        (1) research on existing apprenticeship programs,

 

 

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1    using the Illinois Apprenticeship Plus Framework as a
2    guide. This research shall seek to identify programs that
3    fit the 4 models of apprenticeship (registered,
4    non-registered, youth, and pre-apprenticeship);
5        (2) identification of work-based learning programs
6    that may have the potential to align with the
7    Apprenticeship Plus Framework;
8        (3) identification of how apprenticeship programs in
9    this State are currently funded and what funding streams
10    exist with potential for expanded sustainable funding of
11    apprenticeship programs;
12        (4) data on the distinct demographic trends and
13    industry composition of various regions of this State, with
14    an assessment of the industrial needs of each region and
15    how apprenticeship programs may be tailored to fit those
16    needs;
17        (5) identification of job fields having high
18    participation rates among diverse communities so as to
19    support diverse and equitable apprenticeship growth in
20    this State; and
21        (6) any other relevant information or recommendations
22    concerning apprenticeship programs and how such programs
23    may be utilized in this State to increase economic
24    development and opportunity.
25    For the purposes of this subsection (b), "Illinois
26Apprenticeship Plus Framework" means the Apprenticeship Plus

 

 

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1Framework established by the Illinois Workforce Innovation
2Board's Apprenticeship Committee in defining high-quality
3apprenticeships for the State.
4    (c) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
5shall submit its report with findings and recommendations to
6the Governor and the General Assembly on or before June 1,
72020.
 
8    Section 15. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1,
92022.