Apprenticeship Training

Registered apprenticeships are training programs in which participants get the opportunity to “earn while they learn,” with tuition costs covered by employers and labor-management organizations who gain access to a pool of skilled, productive, and safe workers. Illinois currently has more than 22,000 active apprentices – a growth of 77% since 2014.

Through registered apprenticeship programs, the construction industry– which accounts for 85% of all apprentices – offers the largest privately-financed system of higher education in Illinois.

Construction apprenticeship programs invest more than $136 million annually in worker skills development.

Joint labor-management programs account for 99% of all private construction apprenticeship investment.

Construction apprenticeships provide $1.3 billion in long-term economic value, an $11 return per dollar invested.

Joint labor-management apprenticeship programs are the gold standard in Illinois.

  • Completion rates: 54% in joint programs vs. 31% in employer-only programs.

  • Journeyworker wages: $40 from joint programs vs. $23 for employer-only programs.

  • People of Color: 31% in joint programs vs. 21% in employer-only programs.

Joint labor-management apprenticeship programs in construction deliver training hours, graduation rates, and competitive earnings that rival the performance of Illinois’ four-year public universities.

7,300 hours of training 27% more than universities
54% graduation rate, on par with universities (61%)
Earnings boost greater than many bachelor’s degrees

Apprenticeships are the bachelor’s degrees of the construction industry, and are a great alternative to college for Illinois’ youth.

Joint Construction Programs vs Employer Only Programs Chart

Joint labor-management programs account for 97% of all active construction apprentices in Illinois, 93% in Minnesota, 95% in California, 85% in Pennsylvania, 82% in Ohio, 81% in Wisconsin, 79% in Kentucky, 77% in Indiana, 75% in Michigan, 63% in Oregon, and 55% in Iowa.

Union apprenticeship programs tain the vast majority of construction apprentices across the Midwest.

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