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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended by
5adding Section 2-26 as follows:
 
6    (110 ILCS 805/2-26 new)
7    Sec. 2-26. Community college apprenticeship grant program.
8    (a) The General Assembly finds all of the following:
9        (1) It is vital that our State take steps to enhance
10    education and workforce training to build capacity and
11    develop talent and skills that meet current and future
12    workforce needs.
13        (2) Apprenticeship is a proven model of job preparation
14    that combines paid on-the-job training with related
15    instruction to progressively increase workers' skill
16    levels and wages.
17        (3) As an earn-and-learn strategy, apprenticeships
18    offer job seekers immediate employment opportunities that
19    pay sustainable wages and offer advancement along a career
20    pathway.
21        (4) As using apprenticeships as a workforce
22    development tool continues to flourish across the country,
23    the role for community colleges is also growing.

 

 

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1        (5) Community college apprenticeship programs in this
2    State bring the classroom and careers together, as they
3    develop curriculum and provide the classroom instruction
4    portion of an apprenticeship.
5        (6) Community college apprenticeship programs may
6    provide college credits leading toward, or even completion
7    of, an associate degree.
8        (7) Community colleges often screen apprenticeship
9    applicants, work with economic and workforce development
10    groups, or even act as the apprenticeship program sponsor,
11    handling the administration of the apprenticeship program.
12        (8) Lack of funding and resources is the most widely
13    mentioned challenge to increasing apprenticeship programs
14    at community colleges in this State.
15    (b) Subject to appropriation, the State Board shall
16establish a community college apprenticeship grant program to
17expand opportunities for credit and non-credit education and
18training leading to high-demand jobs through apprenticeship
19programs offered in partnership with a community college and a
20local business or industry. Grants provided under this Section
21must be prioritized to expand apprenticeship programs to new
22populations, develop apprenticeships in new, non-traditional
23sectors, and identify ways to promote greater inclusion and
24diversity in apprenticeships.
25    (c) The State Board must adopt rules necessary to implement
26this Section.
 

 

 

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1    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
2becoming law.