SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House approved State Senator Ann Gillespie’s (D-Arlington Heights) plan to create the 21st Century Employment Grant Program to address employment gaps in Illinois’ manufacturing, health care and technology industries today.

“Employers need us to establish a pipeline of skilled workers for manufacturing, health care and technology careers. This measure will help us do that,” Gillespie said. “Career and technical education is a priority of mine, and I am excited to advance this important legislation.”

Senate Bill 1919 would create a statewide career and technical education (CTE) framework for identifying the skills employers are seeking on an ongoing basis and would award grants to CTE programs in those disciplines. The program seeks to establish an ongoing pipeline of highly trained workers in the manufacturing, healthcare and innovative technologies fields.

Gillespie’s proposal allocates funds to community colleges and high schools that train students for a career and teach them in-demand professional skills. Each program receiving a grant must provide students with industry-recognized certifications upon completion.

An advisory board of educators, business groups and labor leaders would determine the needs of communities and establish training programs to fill their employment gaps.

The state-funded program would also be supported by private contributions.

“This will provide incentives for people to stay in Illinois and enrich their communities by being productive members of the workforce,” Gillespie said. “It will also bring more businesses to Illinois when they see we are prioritizing ongoing investments in a trained workforce.”

Senate Bill 1919 awaits the governor’s signature to become law.

SPRINGFIELD – A study on the expansion of apprenticeship programs in Illinois introduced by State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) passed the General Assembly today.

If signed into law, Senate Bill 2024 would require the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to find out where the state could expand apprenticeship programs and issue a report by June 1, 2020.

“Training or higher education after high school is no longer an option, it’s a necessity,” said Gillespie. “Young people in our state are being pushed toward higher education and the incredible amount of debt that comes with it, even when it might not be their best path to success. I want to make on-the-job training programs more available to them so they can find a good-paying job without being saddled with student loans for the rest of their lives.”

A study done by the Institute of Education Science of the U.S. Department of Education found that 91 percent of registered apprentices find employment after completing their program with an average starting wage above $60,000. Additionally, the study found that a majority of apprentices complete their program debt-free.

“Apprenticeships are good for workers and for businesses,” said Gillespie. “Apprentices can get the skills they need to be successful and enter the workforce ready to take on the duties of their job. During my time in the Senate, I’ve made it my mission to expand these opportunities to young people looking for alternatives to higher education.”

Senate Bill 2024 is Gillespie’s first piece of legislation as a State Senator. It awaits the governor’s signature to become law.

SPRINGFIELD – Businesses and schools will team up to provide students with work-based training under a bill passed by State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights).

House Bill 2868 would require the State Board of Education to develop a work-based training database to help facilitate relationships between school districts and businesses. The database would be used to provide students with employment opportunities to apply their academic and technical skills.

“Young people need to enter the workforce with all the training they need,” said Gillespie. “By having work-based training experiences early on, students can develop the skills they need to be productive and marketable to employers.”

The Illinois State Board of Education would begin compiling the database immediately and would have one year to complete it.

“When businesses are looking where to locate, they look to where the skilled employees are,” noted Gillespie. “This database will help businesses find the programs that are creating the skilled workforce they need.”

House Bill 2868 awaits the governor’s signature.

SPRINGFIELD – A harmful chemical found in most common receipt papers would be barred from use by Illinois businesses under legislation sponsored by State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) that passed the Senate today.

House Bill 2076 would prohibit bisphenol-A (BPA) from being used in paper for business and banking records such as cash register, debit card and sales receipts. BPA is present in most thermal receipt papers to develop color.

“BPA has been proven to cause harmful reproductive and developmental effects in animals,” Gillespie said. “We cannot stand by and wait for BPA’s effects on humans to be seen. We need to be proactive.”

The measure is supported by the Sierra Club, Local 881 UFCW, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Environmental Council.

“Tens of thousands of workers and even more consumers are in contact with these papers every day,” said Zach Koutsky, Legislative and Political Director of Local 881 UFCW. “Whether you are on the job or simply going shopping, you deserve to be safe from harmful chemicals.”

Similar legislation was introduced in Illinois in 2012 but did not pass the House. In 2011, Connecticut banned BPA in thermal receipt paper.

The measure will go back to the House for concurrence before being sent to the governor.