SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  – State Rep. Camille Y. Lilly, D-Chicago, is drawing attention to a new law to increase job training in the building trades and help rehabilitate abandoned homes.

“Building a stronger Illinois means equipping young people with the skills they need for careers in the modern workforce,” Lilly said. “This includes the crucial jobs in building trades, from operating and stationary engineers to ironworkers and electricians.”

Lilly backed House Bill 2304, which provides grants to community organizations to establish job training and entrepreneurship programs in buildings trades including construction, electrical, painting and plumbing trades. Under the new law, the Training in the Building Trades Program would provide formal training in a chosen trade from a recognized journeyman or tradesman. Organizations participating in the program would be able to partner with local financial institutions or municipalities to rehabilitate abandoned residential properties in order to develop hands-on experience for participating trainees. Additionally, organizations could establish entrepreneurship programs to provide participants access to capital to launch businesses as building trades contractors or subcontractors.

“With the Training in the Building Trades Program, Illinois has the opportunity to provide people with critical job training skills that will help them build strong middle-class lives,” Lilly said. “And once workers are equipped with skills in the trades under this program, they will also have the opportunity to develop skills to create their own businesses, building a stronger Illinois with an entrepreneurial spirit.”

RED BUD, Ill. – State Rep. Nathan Reitz, D-Steeleville, is working to create good-paying, local jobs with his support of legislation creating the Training in the Building Trades Program to award grants to community organizations to establish vocational jobs training courses.

“We need to invest in good-paying jobs and put Illinoisans back to work,” Reitz said. “Too many hard-working people in communities across the state are underemployed or underpaid and just waiting on an opportunity to learn a new trade so they can provide for their families. I want to build a stronger Illinois, and we’re only going to do that if everyone has the opportunity to a good-paying job.”

Following his strong record of supporting legislation which boosts economic opportunity and helps to create new jobs, Reitz supported House Bill 2304, which creates the Training in Building Trades Program in the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). The goal of this program is to provide opportunities for people between 18 and 35 to learn trade skills, especially in construction, electrical trades or plumbing. The program is also required to give grants to at least three organizations in five geographic areas in Illinois: Central, Northeastern, Southern, Western and Metro-East. The bill received strong bipartisan support and is now law.

“Our communities need more job training opportunities for local residents and students, and this law will create them,” Reitz said. “While we still have a long way to go, this is a big step forward towards creating the thriving economy that Southern Illinois deserves.”