Illinois ranks No. 1 for workforce development in Midwest

For the second year in a row, Illinois is the No. 1 leader in workforce development in the Midwest.

The ranking honors Illinois’ expansion of access to workforce training programs, critical investments in legislation and programming to reduce barriers to good-paying jobs, and creating a business ecosystem for employers as well as job seekers. Illinois currently runs more than 400 registered apprenticeship programs for more than 20,000 active apprentices, starting with youth apprenticeships in high school.

The Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship program, for example, was launched to increase access to good-paying jobs for historically underrepresented populations. It has awarded more than $40 million to 36 diverse organizations across the state for 4,100 people.

“The hardworking people of Illinois are at the forefront of our state’s economic progress, making us the top state in the Midwest for workforce development for the second consecutive year,” said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. “Since day one, my administration has been committed to making Illinois the best place to live. That’s why we’ve made transformative investments in workforce development, education, and our businesses—ensuring that every Illinoisan has an opportunity to thrive.”

CRITERIA
Criteria set by Site Selection Magazine include CNBC’s top states for business; U.S. News’ best states for education; ACT National Career Readiness certificates for 2023; and multiple other databases analyzing incentive programs and other measures for encouraging the workforce.

“Illinois’ greatest asset is its people, and through a variety of pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship and workforce development programs throughout the state, we are opening the doors to opportunities to join the state’s top-ranked workforce,” said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Kristin Richards. “Under Governor Pritzker’s leadership, the state of Illinois will continue to provide resources and programs to support the No. 1 workforce in the Midwest.”

Illinois topped the listings for the east north central region. Other regional winners were New Jersey for the northeast; North Carolina for the south Atlantic; Arkansas for south central; Iowa for west north central; Colorado for mountain region; and California for the Pacific region.

MISSOURI RANKING
Missouri was in a different region from Illinois, but ranked sixth out of seven states in its region, a position it has held for at least the last two years.