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The proposal introduced by state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago,
would have Illinois public universities pay for testing for
licensing programs and graduate courses. Ford is seeking to include
the plan as part of next year's budget that begins July 1.
Legislators are tasked with approving a budget before they adjourn
Friday.
Ford discussed how much the program would cost taxpayers.
"Right now, we are doing everything we can to do a program for test
prep for our professional licensures at a cost of $10 million for
all our public universities and our community colleges," Ford told
The Center Square.
The exam prep offered would apply to real estate, nursing, EMTs and
social work, among other professional licenses the state provides.
Ford said the idea is intended to help those who are struggling to
afford the high costs of college and may need help to afford the
test prep they need.
"Students are saddled with high tuition costs, and sometimes
students can't even afford to take a college prep course," Ford
said. "That shows up in the results of their test."
No other state in the nation offers such a program, he said.
"This will allow for us to have high qualified licensed
professionals in Illinois," Ford said. "It's a win-win for us. It
would be great that our public universities and community colleges
offer this. No other state is doing this."
The budget proposal comes amid a nationwide nursing shortage as the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that more than 275,000
additional nurses will be needed from 2020 to 2030.
Greg Bishop contributed to this
report.
Andrew Hensel reports on issues in Chicago and
Statewide. He has been with The Center Square News since April of
2021 and was previously with The Joliet Slammers.
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