With a new degree and job, Zoe Pierce’s experience demonstrates the power of Registered Apprenticeships. Man-Tra-Con’s Construction Craft Laborer program provided the support Pierce needed to develop a wide range of skills and competencies. As a result, Pierce (pictured with Zeller Construction owners Chris Schaber, left, and Jamie Tayler Zeller, right) recently began an exciting new position as a Project Manager at Zeller Construction, where she oversees Procore. She graduated with her Associate’s Degree in Construction Management in December 2022 while serving in the Honor Society and president of the Construction Management Club. Pierce plans to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Fall 2023 while continuing with Zeller Construction.

After serving four years in the United States Army, Leyton Analla decided to transfer his military experience in structural aircraft repair to the civilian world. Analla knew he needed additional experience hours to qualify for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) exam and assistance securing tools and equipment. However, pursuing a college degree did not seem like the best fit. “I decided early on that doing something more hands-on and learning on the job was… how I learn,” Analla explained.

Analla reached out to Crucial MRO, a new aircraft hangar in the area, who connected him with Man-Tra-Con’s Registered Apprenticeship Program. While Analla’s military experience counts towards his A&P certification, his full-time apprenticeship at Crucial MRO provides the remaining hours necessary to qualify for the certification process while earning a living wage. In addition, the apprenticeship program provided him with the required tools at no cost.

When asked if Analla would recommend participating in a Registered Apprenticeship Program, Analla responded, “One hundred percent. [The program] has been a great help.”

The Apprenticeship Illinois Expansion grant is being utilized in East Central Illinois to build the capacity of the education, economic, and workforce development system in the Economic Development Region (EDR) to support the expansion of apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships among job seekers and employers.

Through community engagement, the Apprenticeship Navigator brought together three community colleges and two local workforce areas that led to the development of an Apprenticeship Coalition among Parkland College, Danville Area Community College, Kankakee Community College, Vermillion County Works, and East Central Illinois workNet.

Stakeholders from these five partners joined together in Quarter 4 of 2022 to share best practices; discuss challenges faced by employers; identify DEI strategies for economically disadvantaged populations; determine approaches on how to help employers and job seekers connect to apprenticeships; and set goals to increase apprenticeship programs, regional capacity, and the success of apprentices. After this conversation, the Coalition members committed to completing an apprenticeship survey to provide a snapshot of the economic development region. The survey is now completed.

Scaling Tech Apprenticeships:
DPI recruited, vetted, and enrolled pre-apprentices into a Java-intensive program designed and hosted by City Colleges of Chicago. Upon completing the program, pre-apprentices were invited to apply and interview with DPI's employer partner, Cognizant, a Fortune 200 company. Those hired into the apprenticeship program started at $25/hour with benefits. During this past quarter, seven apprentices completed the full-time, intensive classroom training provided by Cognizant Academy in full-stack development and are now participating in the on-the-job learning (OJL) portion of the apprenticeship program.

One of the five components of Registered Apprenticeship is "Rewards for Skill Gains." Cognizant rewarded these seven apprentices with a significant pay increase for their skill gains. Apprentices went from $25/hour to $34/hour. This is equivalent to more than $70k a year....as an apprentice!

Cognizant continues to provide support to the apprentices during their OJL journey.

Pictured is Melissa Chaca, an apprentice at Cognizant.