The Illinois Works Pre-apprenticeship grants will be awarded to community-based organizations that demonstrate a plan to implement a pre-apprenticeship program rooted in national best practices and program design elements and meet Illinois Works program requirements and standards.

The Illinois Works Pre-apprenticeship Program is a semi-structured program that provides grantees with flexibility in critical areas such as recruitment, instruction, transition, delivery of support services, partnership development, and more. Projects that are funded under the Illinois Works Pre-apprenticeship Program must include sixteen program elements and are encouraged to incorporate national best practices.

All program requirements are outlined in the NOFO and in the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program 2023 Grantee Manual.

As defined by the Illinois Works Program Act a "community-based organization" is a nonprofit organization, including an accredited public college or university. To qualify as a "community-based organization", the organization must demonstrate the following:

• the ability to effectively serve diverse and underrepresented populations, including by providing employment services to such populations;
• knowledge of the construction and building trades;
• the ability to recruit, prescreen, and provide pre-apprenticeship training to prepare workers for employment in the construction and building trades; and

a plan to provide the following:

• preparatory classes;
• workplace readiness skills, such as resume preparation and interviewing techniques;
• strategies for overcoming barriers to entry and completion of an apprenticeship program;
• any prerequisites for acceptance into apprenticeship program.

Refer to the NOFO for detailed information regarding program design, outcomes, and requirements.

This grant program is utilizing state funding appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly under the Illinois Works Act.  It is anticipated that the Department will award up to $10 million for grants under this NOFO and that each individual grant should range between $55,000 to $550,000 depending on the number of cohorts the program proposes to deliver for one year.  The Department will consider grant requests for less or more of the above-mentioned range when adequate technical arguments and reasonable outcomes are presented. Allowable costs must be necessary, reasonable, and allocable based on the activity or activities contained in the scope of work.

Anticipated Number of Grants: up to 20

Funding Range: $55,000 to $550,000

Anticipated Total Award: up to $10 million

Anticipated Grant Start Date: January 1, 2024

Application 

Applicants must submit a project narrative that answers the questions for the Pre-apprenticeship Program grant as outlined in the NOFO and required attachments. The project narrative must include enough information for the Department to understand the scope of the project. Application Link.

Due date for application materials is Wednesday, August 30, 2023 by 5:00 pm CST.

For detailed information about the funding opportunity and instruction on how to apply, see the full NOFO, as well as required documents, linked under NOFO Materials. 

Notice of Intent to Apply

Applicants are encouraged, but not required to submit a notice of intent to apply. This letter should contain the applicant’s organization name, geographic location, population planning to serve, organization contact name, email, and phone number and the proposed funding request. Intent letters should be submitted by August 9, 2023 by 5:00 pm CST. 

These letters will help the Department determine merit reviewer needs.

Applications are due by August 30, 2023 at 5:00pm CST.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship NOFO
  
• Uniform Application
  
• Budget Template
• Conflict of Interest Disclosure
  
• Mandatory Disclosure
  
• Attachment I - Proposed Work Plan
  
• Attachment II - Participant Demographics and Outcome Summary
  
• Attachment III - Sample Curriculum and Proposed Curriculum
  
• Attachment IV - Staffing Plan
  

NOFO References

• 360-Degree Focus on Equity
• Executive Order #3: Action Agenda for Workforce Development and Job Creation
• Illinois Career Pathways Dictionary
• Illinois Department of Labor, 2021 State Construction Minority and Female Building Trades Annual Report
• Illinois Essential Employability Skills Framework
• Illinois Works Pre-apprenticeship Program 2022 Grantee Manual
• Illinois Workforce Innovation Board, Apprenticeship Illinois Committee Quarterly Report June 2021
• The Essentials of a High-Quality Pre-apprenticeship Program, Jobs for the Future, 2019
• United States Department of Labor, Training and Employment Notice 13-12 
• United States Department of Labor, Discover Apprenticeship: Earn While You Earn Today
• U.S. Dept of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Database System (RAPIDS)
  

Resources for Competitive Applications

• Apprenticeship Illinois
• Grant Accountability and Transparency Act
  
• Illinois Career Pathways Dictionary
  
• Illinois Works Pre-apprenticeship Program 2022 Grantee Manual
  
• Regional and Local Workforce Plans
• State of Illinois WIOA ePolicy Portal
• State of Illinois WIOA Unified State Plan
  
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Talent Pipeline Management Initiative
  
• U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Employment and Training, Office of Apprenticeship
  
• WIOA Regional/Local Plans by Economic Development Region
  
• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014
  

Resources on National Best Practices for Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship Programs

• 2020 Construction ApprenticeshipGuidebook (Seattle)
• Broadening the ApprenticeshipPipeline (National Skills Coalition)
• Construction Pre-ApprenticeshipPrograms (Aspen Institute)
  
• Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Programs: Results from a National Survey (Aspen Institute)
  
• Illinois Tollway ConstructionWorksBrochure
  
• Illinois Tollway ConstructionWorksOnline Application Portal
• Illinois Tollway ConstructionWorksWebsite
• Key Capacities of ConstructionPre-Apprenticeship Programs (Aspen Institute)
• Pre-Apprenticeships: Building StrongApprentices (Workforce GPS)
• Seattle PACT Pre-ApprenticeshipConstruction Training
• YOUTHBUILD Construction Plus Framework
  

Resources on National Best Practices for Equity Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship Programs