Apprenticeship programs in construction and other trades have long been seen as a pathway to good-paying jobs without the expense of a college degree.
A new study suggests they also rival the performance of state colleges and universities in terms of training hours, graduation rates, diversity and lifetime earnings for graduates.
The report from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois specifically singles out Illinois’ joint labor-management construction apprenticeship programs as a model that could be duplicated in other industries with high demand for skilled workers, such as IT, nursing or manufacturing.
