Letter: Apprenticeship programs benefit state

Posted Sep. 4, 2016 at 8:02 PM 

 

A study released Aug. 24 by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Labor and Employment Relations determined in dollars and cents the actual benefit of apprenticeship programs in Illinois.

These benefits don’t extend solely to those who participate in the apprentice programs but also to the federal, state and local governments that receive the tax revenues and the members of the communities that benefit from increased investment.

According to the study, apprenticeship programs in Illinois “directly provide 2,871 jobs” and “provide $1.25 billion in long-term economic benefits to the state.”

Not only this, but apprenticeship programs educate and prepare the well-trained individuals who provide quality craftsmanship, who take pride in their work and complete it in a time-efficient and cost-effective manner.

The Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters knows that these benefits are important not only to the bottom line, but to the outcome of a project. That’s why the CRCC provides a robust training and apprenticeship program that boasts tens of thousands of highly trained and skilled workers who receive wages and benefits that allow them to support their families and grow their communities.

The study also found that the construction industry is going to keep growing, adding more than 25,000 new jobs in the next decade. Let’s make sure those jobs go to the trained women and men who are not only dedicated to their field, but produce a positive economic impact on our state.

Frank T. Libby

The writer is president/executive secretary-treasurer of Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters