Want to earn more? This federal program will help train you for a higher-paying job.

St. Clair County's grants department is the first in Illinois to become a certified U.S. Department of Labor apprenticeship program sponsor, according to county leaders.

The designation will allow the county's Intergovernmental Grants Department to help local employers recruit, hire and train employees.

Department of Labor-certified apprenticeship programs, known as Registered Apprenticeship Programs, involve five main components: classroom training, on-the-job training, work mentorship, progressive wages and national occupational credentials.

"This gives an employer the ability to train these job seekers to the credentials, the qualifications that they need for that particular job," said Rick Stubblefield, coordinator of the regional Workforce Development Group. "We can now do what our local employers need and create to the competencies they need."

A welding company, for example, could create an internship for the specific type of welding they need, Stubblefield said.

The goal of the program is to educate and train workers so they can gain more skills and higher wages. Workers who complete an apprenticeship also earn nationally recognized credentials from the Department of Labor.

County employees worked for a year to achieve the certification, said St. Clair County Economic Development Director Terry Beach.

"This is sort of a big feather in our hat," Beach said.

Workers and employers can find information about joining the apprenticeship program at any Workforce Development Group office in St. Clair, Monroe, Randolph, Clinton and Washington counties.

• St. Clair County: 4519 West Main St., Belleville, IL 62223; 618-277-3090
  
  
• Clinton County: 851 Fairfax, Carlyle, IL 62231; 618-594-4520
  
  
• Randolph County: Randolph County Courthouse 1 Taylor St., Chester, IL 62233; 618-826-4709
  
  
• Washington County: 455 South Washington Rm. 32, Nashville, IL 62263; 618-327-4191
  
  
• Monroe County: Monroe County Courthouse 100 S. Main St. Rm.19, Waterloo, IL 62298; 618-939-3332
  
  

The Workforce Development Group administers money from the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which pays entirely for the program with federal money, according to Stubblefield.

The group provided services to thousands of job seekers in the region, offering access to training, networking, job opportunities and resume writing assistance among other services.

This story was originally published June 7, 2018 at 11:53 AM with the headline "Want to earn more? This federal program will help train you for a higher-paying job.."