Public Act 101-0364
 
SB2024 EnrolledLRB101 11211 RJF 56468 b

    AN ACT concerning government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Apprenticeship Study Act.
 
    Section 5. Findings and purpose. The General Assembly finds
the following:
        (1) our State has the unfortunate distinction of
    ranking second in youth unemployment and also has one of
    the highest unemployment rates in the country for people of
    color of all ages;
        (2) employers from a range of sectors struggle to fill
    positions that require more training than a high school
    diploma, but less than a college degree;
        (3) apprenticeship programs help address these needs
    by allowing employers to secure the talent they need while
    providing apprentices a debt-free pathway to a career and
    credentials, with 91% of apprentices remaining employed at
    a median salary of $50,000;
        (4) our State has over 15,000 Registered Apprentices,
    but the demographics of these apprentices do not mirror the
    diversity of Illinoisans in that only 28% of Registered
    Apprentices are people of color, only 4% of Registered
    Apprentices are women; and the vast majority (82%) of
    apprenticeship programs are concentrated in the
    construction and trade industries;
        (5) intentionally targeting industries that appeal to
    diverse populations could increase not only the number of
    apprentices in this State, but increase the diversity of
    those who identify as apprentices;
        (6) there are significant possibilities for growing
    apprenticeship into an inclusive workforce strategy for
    Illinois, but to build a foundation for success, we need to
    understand what apprenticeship programs exist, how they
    are funded, and the barriers employers face to launching
    quality apprenticeship programs; and
        (7) the purpose of this study is to build such a
    foundation for successful apprenticeship growth, and this
    study is needed to assess what the future may hold for
    expansion of apprenticeship in Illinois.
 
    Section 10. Apprenticeship Study.
    (a) There is hereby created the Apprenticeship Study.
    (b) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
shall conduct a study on the potential expansion of
apprenticeship programs in this State and produce a report on
its findings. The report shall include, but not be limited to,
the following:
        (1) research on existing apprenticeship programs,
    using the Illinois Apprenticeship Plus Framework as a
    guide. This research shall seek to identify programs that
    fit the 4 models of apprenticeship (registered,
    non-registered, youth, and pre-apprenticeship);
        (2) identification of work-based learning programs
    that may have the potential to align with the
    Apprenticeship Plus Framework;
        (3) identification of how apprenticeship programs in
    this State are currently funded and what funding streams
    exist with potential for expanded sustainable funding of
    apprenticeship programs;
        (4) data on the distinct demographic trends and
    industry composition of various regions of this State, with
    an assessment of the industrial needs of each region and
    how apprenticeship programs may be tailored to fit those
    needs;
        (5) identification of job fields having high
    participation rates among diverse communities so as to
    support diverse and equitable apprenticeship growth in
    this State; and
        (6) any other relevant information or recommendations
    concerning apprenticeship programs and how such programs
    may be utilized in this State to increase economic
    development and opportunity.
    For the purposes of this subsection (b), "Illinois
Apprenticeship Plus Framework" means the Apprenticeship Plus
Framework established by the Illinois Workforce Innovation
Board's Apprenticeship Committee in defining high-quality
apprenticeships for the State.
    (c) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
shall submit its report with findings and recommendations to
the Governor and the General Assembly on or before June 1,
2020.
 
    Section 15. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1,
2022.