Programs to prepare workers for skilled trades apprenticeships have significantly boosted the number of women and people of color in Illinois’ construction workforce and also yield a big return on investment, according to a report released Wednesday.
In Illinois, enrollment in pre-apprenticeship training programs since 2017 has led to a 95% and 202% jump in the number of Black and female apprentices, respectively, according to research by the nonpartisan Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Project for Middle Class Renewal.
That’s significant as the state’s construction industry struggles to fill jobs and gears up for more expansion under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which sets a goal to fuel Illinois entirely by clean energy by 2050.
Robert Bruno, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor and the report’s co-author, said, “As America invests in new infrastructure, energy systems and advanced manufacturing, the ability to more readily access new pockets of workforce candidates has never been more critical.”
Researchers analyzed investments and outcomes in Illinois’ two largest pre-apprentice programs: the Highway Construction Careers Training Program and the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program, known as IL Works.
The construction careers program and IL Works together enrolled more than 5,800 pre-apprentices from 2017 through 2024, with Black and female enrollees disproportionately exceeding the share of construction apprentices statewide.
Their apprenticeship readiness programs of six to 18 weeks teach foundational skills needed for longer-term apprenticeships in roles such as electricians, ironworkers, painters and plumbers.
Researchers found that $66 million invested in the construction careers and IL Works pre-apprenticeships since 2017 translated into an investment of about $12,000 per program participant and $35,000 per placed apprentice.
For pre-apprentices who get jobs in the skilled trades, the programs yield a 900% return on grant investment over 10 years, in terms of their earnings.
“The surge in women and people of color entering the industry through these initiatives, graduating and moving on to becoming apprentices, makes it clear that these intentional public investments have been a win-win-win for workers, for in-demand industries and for communities,” said Frank Manzo IV, Illinois Economic Policy Institute economist and the report’s co-author.
More pre-apprenticeship hubs have been created as part of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, researchers noted. In 2024, they won nearly $40 million in grants for clean energy regional pre-apprenticeships and workforce hubs. Programs are run by community colleges and nonprofits such as 548 Foundation, which focuses on solar industry training.
Clean energy programs in Illinois could create as many as 3,200 pre-apprenticeships and another 1,200 apprentice placements annually once fully operational, researchers forecast.
Tuition-free pre-apprenticeship programs are often funded by government grants to community colleges and organizations such as HIRE360, Chicago Women in Trades, Dawson Technical Institute in Englewood and Rock Valley College in Rockford.
They offer hands-on training and classroom instruction, as well as critical wraparound support services, such as child care and transportation, that can pose obstacles for trainees.
Careers in unionized construction jobs offer upward economic mobility, researchers said. Some pre-apprenticeship participants previously earned minimum wage as fast-food workers, cashiers or in nonunion residential construction jobs, according to the report. Others worked as warehouse workers or as delivery drivers, including for the U.S. Postal Service. Managers, real estate agents and chemists also joined the programs to change careers.
President Donald Trump’s administration has targeted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. So far, Illinois’ pre-apprenticeship programs have not faced direct federal funding cuts.
But they “could be impacted by recent executive orders and parts of the budget reconciliation law targeting Biden-era energy and manufacturing initiatives,” Manzo said. “Ultimately, the data argues for expanding pre-apprenticeship programs because they have proven to expand skilled labor supply pools for in-demand industries.”