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. In 2019, Illinois had more than 17,000 active apprentices – a growth of 44% since 2011.
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 longterm 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.



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

Featured Work:
The Apprenticeship Alternative: Enrollment, Completion Rates, and Earnings in Registered Apprenticeship Programs in Illinois
January 6, 2020 |The Impact of Apprenticeship Programs in Illinois: An Analysis of Economic and Social Effects
August 24, 2016 |ILEPI Testimony on Registered Apprenticeship Programs
April 30, 2019 |The Impact of Construction Apprenticeship Programs in Minnesota: A Return-on-Investment Analysis
September 16, 2019 |The Economic, Fiscal, and Social Effects of Ohio’s Prevailing Wage Law
April 10, 2017 |