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The U.S. Department of Labor is spending $244 million this year
on Apprenticeships Build America grants. Illinois’ portion is $8
million, funded by federal taxpayers.
The money is intended for schools to provide heavy equipment for
training students.
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said only one-third of Americans
have a four-year college degree.
“For those two-thirds of Americans who don’t have a four-year
college degree, unfortunately, this country has failed them. We
have not provided world-class, post-secondary education,”
Krishnamoorthi said.
According to Illinois State Senator Cristina Castro, companies
want to hire immediately.
“As I have gone across the district this summer, there are those
that are saying, ‘How do get people in now? I am looking for
folks now.’ And it is these programs that U46 and District 300
and many of our school districts offer, and they’re just missing
connecting with them to fill that pipeline,” Castro explained.
Castro said she and her colleagues in the General Assembly work
tirelessly on connecting students with opportunity.
In July of this year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced $18
million in state-taxpayer funding of the Illinois Works
Pre-Apprenticeship Program. The initiative aims to provide
training opportunities, expand the talent pipeline, and boost
diversity in the construction industry and building trades.
Eighth-District Congressman Krishnamoorthi explained why he felt
$8 million of federal taxpayer money was needed for Illinois.
“The job of America’s government, in part, is to make sure that
these folks, all youth but especially these two-thirds of
Americans who are not going to attain a four-year college
degree, get into a middle-class, sustaining career,”
Krishnamoorthi said.
The Youth Workforce Development Foundation and Associated
Equipment Distributors joined Krishnamoorthi and Castro for the
grant announcement at South Elgin High School.
Krishnamoorthi said the grant is important because it costs a
lot of money to buy industrial equipment and tools. He said
40,000 vacancies are projected in the heavy-equipment supply
chain.
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