Spaces are still available for a free 12-week Illinois Works pre-apprenticeship program starting April 2 at the Fry Family YMCA in Naperville.
The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago is offering the course to offer adult training for a variety of trades and prepare participants for a future apprenticeship program.
Students will be introduced to 14 primary trades through 10 weeks of classroom training and two weeks of job site training, said Tina Hone, executive director of economic equity for the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.
Participants learn the basics of various trades, including carpentry, pipefitting, plumbing and electrical work, as well as how to read blueprints, use hand and power tools, and how to compute construction math, Hone said. Often, applied construction math like finding area or volume can be a barrier to passing entrance exams required for full-fledged apprenticeship programs, she said.
The program also teaches participants the special skills needed to be a good employee, covering everything from the workplace etiquette of union halls and construction sites to the importance of communications and how to resolve conflicts.
Students will walk away with 180 hours of instruction and also pick up First Aid, CPR and OSHA certifications, Hone said. A stipend of up to $2,500 is awarded for completing the course.
Participants can also receive help with transitional employment so they can keep what they’ve mastered fresh if they need to wait for an official apprenticeship program to begin, Hone said.
The free program is limited to 30 participants.
“We are going to get you on the path so you can get great construction jobs,” Hone said.
With Naperville’s location in both Will and DuPage counties, the city — and the Fry Family YMCA — was the top suburban choice when the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago was determining where to host the pre-apprenticeship program, Hone said. The program is supported by funding related to the $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital plan, which was approved in 2019.
The multiyear infrastructure program invests in roads, bridges, railways, schools, universities, broadband access and more across the state.
“We are facing a tsunami of retirements in the construction trades,” Hone said. “There’s also not a lot of diversity in the trades.”
The pre-apprenticeship program will help build up the construction workforce and try to reflect the state’s diversity, she said.
“This is an important project to bring to Will and DuPage counties,” Hone said. “We know there are pockets of need surrounded by affluence and we want to reach them. There are people looking for a path of meaningful work to support their families. (Construction jobs) are very well paying jobs that allow you to buy a house and have a stable life.”
The program is targeting young adults or recent high school graduates who would prefer the trades instead of attending college, she said. But there is no age limit to apply. Applicants must be at least 18, have a high school diploma and be an Illinois resident.
If the program is successful, the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago will seek to offer it again in Naperville next year.
For more information, go to www.ymcachicago.org.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
