Chicago Apprenticeships: A New Tool for Workforce Professionals
This post draws on research and insights from the Inclusive Economy Lab (IEL) at the University of Chicago.
At Chicago Jobs Council, we know apprenticeships are a promising pathway to good jobs. We also know that promise is not equally realized.
The University of Chicago's Inclusive Economy Lab studied apprenticeship programs across the country and in the Chicago area to see who's getting in and who's making it through. What they found is troubling: there are major racial gaps in who enrolls, who completes their training, what trades people enter, and how much they earn. This matters because apprenticeships are one of the best deals around—you earn money while learning a skilled trade, with no tuition costs or student debt—yet these opportunities aren't reaching everyone equally.
To address this, the Inclusive Economy Lab has partnered with workforce leaders to build a new tool designed to make apprenticeship opportunities clearer and more accessible: the Apprenticeship Dashboard.
“While we are doing the research, we should also do something meaningful for jobseekers. This tool is designed to give visibility into programs and statistics so people can make better decisions for themselves.” — Cory Muldoon, Inclusive Economy Lab
What the Dashboard Offers:
Comprehensive visibility: Includes more than 429 registered apprenticeship programs in Illinois.
National data: Built on the U.S. Department of Labor’s RAPIDS database, with program-level details.
Decision support: Jobseekers and practitioners can view program length, sector opportunities, and outcomes to assess fit.
Access for all: Designed for workforce professionals, career coaches, and jobseekers to use side by side.
Why It Matters:
Research shows that disparities exist not only in who enters apprenticeship programs, but also in who completes them. Tools like this help break down barriers by:
Putting transparent information in the hands of jobseekers.
Helping practitioners guide clients toward programs that match their needs and goals.
Highlighting where inequities persist, so policy and practice can respond.
The use of the Apprenticeship Dashboard is a step in the right direction for guiding jobseekers not only to secure apprenticeships, but also to successfully complete them. The dashboard gives users the opportunity to filter by occupation or sector, view program length, wages, and completion rates, and pair that data with real-life considerations like commute, caregiving, or physical job demands. We’re sharing this because Chicago Jobs Council is committed to equipping workforce professionals with resources that advance equity and access. The Apprenticeship Dashboard bridges IEL’s research with the real decisions jobseekers face every day.