Policy Chapters and Sections

Work-Based Learning

Chapter: 7 Section: 3
Effective Date: 7/1/2015
Expiration Date: Continuing
Published Date: 7/1/2026 3:43:35 PM
Status: Current
Version: 3

Tags: Program Eligibility, Services

  1. Work-Based Learning Overview
    1. One type of training service available to WIOA customers is work-based learning (WBL), which provides participants with work-based opportunities to practice and enhance the skills and knowledge gained through a program of study or an industry training program. WBL can include the opportunity to earn income while gaining critical employability skills and should include an assessment and recognition of acquired knowledge and skills. For employers, a benefit is established as WBL participants gain work-ready and tailored technical skills that can meet market demand.
  2. Types of Work-Based Learning
    1. Registered Apprenticeship
      1. Registered Apprenticeship is an employer-driven, “learn while you earn” model that combines on-the-job training (OJT) with related technical instruction (RTI) in curricula tied to the attainment of a federally recognized industry credential. The OJT is provided by the employer of the apprentice and can be delivered to an incumbent worker or a new hire. RTI can be provided through a partnership with a Local Education Agency (LEA) or can be administered directly by the employer.
      2. Registered Apprenticeship must include wages paid to the participant on a progressive schedule that provides for economic mobility during and after the conclusion of the program. The wage schedule is established in the occupation approval application submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor.
      3. WIOA funds may be used to support placing participants in both the classroom-based RTI and OJT portions of the program. WIOA funds can also be used to provide supportive services to participants that help an individual successfully persist through a Registered Apprenticeship program.
      4. Target populations include youth, adults, and dislocated workers.
    2. Pre-Apprenticeship
      1. A pre-apprenticeship is a program designed to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in a registered apprenticeship program, which includes:
        1. Industry-focused training and curriculum that align with the skill needs of employers in the economy of the State or region;
        2. Access to educational and career counseling and other supportive services;
        3. Hands-on, meaningful learning activities that are connected to education and training activities, such as exploring career options and understanding how skills acquired through coursework can be applied to a future career;
        4. Opportunities to attain at least one industry-recognized credential; and
        5. A partnership with one or more registered apprenticeship programs that assist in placing individuals who complete the pre-apprenticeship into a registered apprenticeship program.
      2. Target populations include youth and adults with challenges to employment who are identified as needing certain skills or credentials to successfully enter into a registered apprenticeship program, and dislocated workers in need of new skills who are transitioning to new industries or occupations.
      3. For more information and any waivers Illinois has been granted, see the Work Experience and Transitional Jobs section of this policy manual.
    3. Work Experience
      1. A work experience (sometimes called an internship) is a planned, structured learning experience designed to promote the development of good work habits for individuals who have never worked, have very limited occupational exposure, or have been out of the labor force for an extended period.  Work experiences or internships take place in a workplace for a limited period and may be paid or unpaid, as appropriate, and consistent with other laws, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act. They are considered an individualized career service, and may be arranged within the private, for-profit, non-profit, or public sectors.
      2. For youth, work experiences may also include:
        1. Pre-apprenticeship programs;
        2. Summer employment and other employment activities available throughout the school year;
        3. Internships and job shadowing; and
        4. On-the-job training (OJT).
      3. Target populations include youth and adults with challenges to employment who have limited labor market experience, and dislocated workers needing exposure to new industries or occupations.
      4. For more information and any waivers Illinois has been granted, see the Work Experience and Transitional Jobs section of this policy manual.
    4. Transitional Jobs
      1. Transitional jobs are a type of work experience local boards may provide under WIOA.
      2. Transitional Jobs are considered an individualized career service and are time-limited and wage-paid work experiences that can be subsidized up to one hundred (100) percent. These jobs are in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors, and are designed to enable an individual to establish a work history, demonstrate work success in an employer-employee relationship, and develop the skills that lead to unsubsidized employment.
      3. Target populations include adults and dislocated workers with challenges to employment who are chronically unemployed or have an inconsistent work history.
      4. For more information and any waivers Illinois has been granted, see the Work Experience and Transitional Jobs section of this policy manual.
    5. On-the-Job Training
      1. On-the-Job Training (OJT) is essential skills training provided by an employer to a paid employee engaged in productive work. Reimbursements can be provided to employers to help compensate for the costs associated with skills upgrade training for newly hired employees and the lost production of current employees providing the training, including management staff. OJT training can assist employers working to expand their businesses by providing specialized skill training to additional staff. OJT employers may receive up to fifty (50) percent reimbursement of the wage rate of OJT trainees to help defray personnel training costs, and in some circumstances may qualify for up to seventy-five (75) percent reimbursement. Under some programs, such as those funded by H-1B fees, OJT reimbursement may be as high as ninety (90) percent, depending on employer size.
      2. Target populations include adults and dislocated workers in need of new employer-based skills, individuals with challenges to employment, including unemployed workers (including long-term unemployed), underemployed workers, and older/out-of-school youth.
      3. For more information and any waivers Illinois has been granted, see the On-the-Job Training section of this policy manual.
    6. Customized Training
      1. Customized training is designed to meet the specific requirements of an employer or group of employers with the commitment that the business or businesses employ an individual(s) upon successful completion of the training. In most instances, the business must pay a significant portion of the training costs, as determined by the Local Workforce Innovation Board (LWIB).
      2. Target populations include adults and dislocated workers with challenges to employment who need industry or occupational skills.
      3. For more information and any waivers Illinois has been granted, see the Customized Training section of this policy manual.
    7. Incumbent Worker Training
      1. Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) is designed to meet the needs of an employer or group of employers to retain a skilled workforce or avert layoffs by assisting the workers in obtaining the skills necessary to retain employment. IWT is conducted with a commitment by the employer to retain or avert the layoffs of the incumbent workers trained.
      2. Unlike other trainings, employers, instead of individuals, must meet the local eligibility criteria to receive funds for training their workforce. In most circumstances, incumbent workers being trained must have been employed with the company for at least six months. Employers who receive these funds are required to meet the requirements for providing the non-federal share of the training costs.
      3. Target populations include businesses and employers who meet local eligibility criteria to receive incumbent worker training funds and who need to provide training to their current workforce to meet new or changing business needs.
      4. For more information and any waivers Illinois has been granted, see the Incumbent Worker Training section of this policy manual.