Welch, Pritzker Announce Funding to Expand Local Job Training Opportunities
MELROSE PARK, Ill. – More than $20 million in new state funding will expand pathways to career training for thousands of young people in the west suburbs and across Illinois thanks to the work of House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch and Governor JB Pritzker.
While visiting one local training site, Welch and Pritzker announced new funding secured in the state budget which will expand skills training through the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program at 38 sites across Illinois, including Melrose Park and Maywood.
“Apprenticeships and career training are literally how we build a brighter future, and this is all about creating opportunity in the most equitable and inclusive way possible,” Welch said. “We’re creating opportunity for everyone. The men and women training through Illinois Works come from different backgrounds and different experiences; they’re training in different skills. But it’s a common goal that brought them here. They want to work hard. They want to get ahead. And while doing that, they want to build vibrant communities we can all share.”
The Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program launched in 2021 with the goal of increasing diversity and access to apprenticeship programs. Participants of the program attend tuition-free and receive a stipend and other support services to help enter the construction industry. Upon completion of the program, pre-apprentices receive industry-aligned certifications, which prepare and qualify them to continue to a registered apprenticeship program in one of the trades.
For more information about the Illinois Works Pre-Appreciation Program, including information about how to apply, visit dceo.illinois.gov/illinoisworks/preapprenticeship.html.
Photos courtesy of the Chicago Tribune and facebook.com/GovPritzker.