Bill Text: IL SB2024 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Chaptered

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Bill Title: Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with changes. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (currently, the Department of Labor) to conduct a study on the potential expansion of apprenticeship programs in this State and produce a report on its findings. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (currently, the Department of Labor) to submit its report with findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before June 1, 2020.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 22-1)

Status: (Passed) 2019-08-09 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 101-0364 [SB2024 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-SB2024-Chaptered.html

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Public Act 101-0364
SB2024 Enrolled LRB101 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.