Categories: Chicago

University of Illinois study reveals vocational training as tuition-fee alternative

The Illinois Policy Institute and the Project for Middle-Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conducted a study named “The Apprenticeship Alternative: Enrollment, Completion Rates, and Earnings in Registered Apprenticeship Programs in Illinois”. The study was released on Monday by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The study praised union apprenticeship programs as a tuition-free alternative to college. Frank Manzo IV, the co-author and Policy Director at ILEPI, said, “Every year, thousands of Illinois residents enroll in apprenticeship programs as a tuition-free alternative to college.” He added that those programs played a vital role in producing workers.

The apprenticeship programs offer an opportunity for the residents to earn while they learn. The study found that these programs offered more training hours on average as compared to the university or college training hours. The study also found that university graduates earned more over the course of their careers.

The study also focused on the joint labor-management apprenticeships. It found that the joint labor-management apprenticeship programs had higher minority enrollment. Robert Bruno, the co-author of the study and a UIUC professor, said, “Joint labor-management apprenticeships are clearly the best-in-class model.” Bruno added that the joint construction programs provided much better training as compared to any other post-secondary institute.

The total number of apprenticeship enrollment increased by 34 percent since 2011, according to a news release. Most of the apprenticeship programs offered enrollments in the construction, manufacturing, and transportation sectors. Manzo said, “The state’s largest joint labor-management apprenticeship programs are helping more Illinois workers access ladders to the middle class.” The study stated that a registered apprenticeship program was the best alternative to college for the youth of Illinois.

Jackson Sorbo

Managing editor of the Chicago Morning Star

Recent Posts

Senate Democrats mock Biden for selling weapons to Israel

Some of President Biden's strongest Senate allies are calling on Israelis to end months of fierce fighting and criticizing the…

10 months ago

The biggest cities in Ukraine are struck by Russian missiles, leaving at least 4 dead and over 100 injured

Ukraine's KYIV — At least four people were killed and nearly 100 injured when Russian hypersonic ballistic missiles attacked Ukraine's…

10 months ago

Good News That’s Much Needed for Biden

The economy is making Americans feel a little more upbeat, especially when it comes to jobs and incomes, which could…

11 months ago

College Ventilation System Reveals Missing Man

The discovery of a decaying body inside a college ventilation system marked the tragic and unexplained end to a missing…

11 months ago

Following three Palestinian shots, a Vermont man was arrested

Following the shooting deaths of three 20-year-old Palestinian-American students in Vermont, authorities have detained a man. According to a news…

11 months ago

China is told to cease “COVID deception” due to the pneumonia outbreak by the US envoy

The United States ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, urged Chinese authorities "to abandon COVID deception" and demanded that China be…

12 months ago

This website uses cookies.