Public Act 101-0364
 
SB2024 EnrolledLRB101 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.