Sen. Ann Gillespie
Filed: 3/13/2019
 
 

 

 

 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 2024 




2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 2024 by replacing 
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:

 
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 
5Apprenticeship Study Act.
 
6    Section 5. Findings and purpose. The General Assembly finds 
7the following:

8        (1)   our State has the unfortunate distinction of 
9    ranking second in youth unemployment and also has one of 
10    the highest unemployment rates in the country for people of 
11    color of all ages;

12        (2)   employers from a range of sectors struggle to fill 
13    positions that require more training than a high school 
14    diploma, but less than a college degree;

15        (3)   apprenticeship programs help address these needs 
16    by allowing employers to secure the talent they need while 
 
 
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1    providing apprentices a debt-free pathway to a career and 
2    credentials, with 91% of apprentices remaining employed at 
3    a median salary of $50,000;

4        (4)   our State has over 15,000 Registered Apprentices, 
5    but the demographics of these apprentices do not mirror the 
6    diversity of Illinoisans in that only 28% of Registered 
7    Apprentices are people of color, only 4% of Registered 
8    Apprentices are women; and the vast majority (82%) of 
9    apprenticeship programs are concentrated in the 
10    construction and trade industries;

11        (5)   intentionally targeting industries that appeal to 
12    diverse populations could increase not only the number of 
13    apprentices in this State, but increase the diversity of 
14    those who identify as apprentices;

15        (6)   there are significant possibilities for growing 
16    apprenticeship into an inclusive workforce strategy for 
17    Illinois, but to build a foundation for success, we need to 
18    understand what apprenticeship programs exist, how they 
19    are funded, and the barriers employers face to launching 
20    quality apprenticeship programs; and

21        (7)   the purpose of this study is build such a 
22    foundation for successful apprenticeship growth, and this 
23    study is needed to assess what the future may hold for 
24    expansion of apprenticeship in Illinois.

 
25    Section 10. Apprenticeship Study.

 
 
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1    (a)   There is hereby created the Apprenticeship Study.

2    (b)   The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity 
3shall conduct a study on the potential expansion of 
4apprenticeship programs in this State and produce a report on 
5its findings. The report shall include, but not be limited to, 
6the following:

7        (1)   research on existing apprenticeship programs, 
8    using the Illinois Apprenticeship Plus Framework as a 
9    guide. This research shall seek to identify programs that 
10    fit the 4 models of apprenticeship (registered, 
11    non-registered, youth, and pre-apprenticeship);

12        (2)   identification of work-based learning programs 
13    that may have the potential to align with the 
14    Apprenticeship Plus Framework;

15        (3)   identification of how apprenticeship programs in 
16    this State are currently funded and what funding streams 
17    exist with potential for expanded sustainable funding of 
18    apprenticeship programs;

19        (4)   data on the distinct demographic trends and 
20    industry composition of various regions of this State, with 
21    an assessment of the industrial needs of each region and 
22    how apprenticeship programs may be tailored to fit those 
23    needs;

24        (5)   identification of job fields having high 
25    participation rates among diverse communities so as to 
26    support diverse and equitable apprenticeship growth in 
 
 
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1    this State; and

2        (6)   any other relevant information or recommendations 
3    concerning apprenticeship programs and how such programs 
4    may be utilized in this State to increase economic 
5    development and opportunity.

6    For the purposes of this subsection (b), "Illinois 
7Apprenticeship Plus Framework" means the
Apprenticeship Plus 
8Framework established by the Illinois
Workforce Innovation 
9Board's Apprenticeship
Committee in defining high-quality 
10apprenticeships for
the State.
11    (c)   The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity 
12shall submit its report with findings and recommendations to 
13the Governor and the General Assembly on or before June 1, 
142020.

 
15    Section 15. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1, 
162022.".