The Herald-News

Will County celebrates graduates of state training program that paves way for careers in trades

Graduates of the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program in Will County on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.

Almost 20 people have graduated from a pre-apprenticeship program in Will County that prepares them for union trade apprenticeships and construction project opportunities.

The ceremony for 18 graduates of the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program was held Wednesday on the fifth floor of the Will County Courthouse in Joliet, where the classes also took place.

The program is funded in part by the Illinois Works Jobs Program Act, according to HIRE360, a Chicago-based workforce development nonprofit organization.

HIRE360 is one of many providers of the program in the state.

The goal of the HIRE360 program is to assist “underserved populations” in pursuit of a career in the construction trades, according to the organization’s website.

HIRE360 Executive Director Jay Rowell told the graduates that they have “learned a lot over the past couple of months,” and they should be “extremely proud” of what they accomplished.

HIRE360 Executive Director Jay Rowell at the graduation ceremony for the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program in Will County on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.

Rowell said the state not only funded their training but also provided a “number of specific incentives” for contractors to hire them.

“And I do mean each and every one of you,” he said.

Rowell encouraged the graduates to stay in contact with HIRE360 because the organization can help them with their career path.

“For us, it’s not about your first check. It’s about you collecting a pension check after a long successful career in the trades,” Rowell said.

The nine-week pre-apprenticeship program provides hands-on training, industry-recognized certifications and direct pathways into registered union apprenticeships, according to HIRE360.

The program is offered at no cost to the participants and equips graduates with “skills, support and credentials” needed for “lifelong careers in construction and [the] clean energy sector,” according to HIRE360.

One of the graduates of the program is Asante McKinney of Chicago, who previously spent about 13 years working in dentistry.

HIRE360 Workforce Development Director AnaMaria Montes de Oca-Rojas (left), Asante McKinney, Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant and HIRE360 Executive Director Jay Rowell at the graduation ceremony for the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program in Will County on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.

McKinney said her experience with the pre-apprenticeship program was “amazing.”

She said she now will work as a paid trainee with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 701, which is based in Warrenville.

“I’m really looking forward to that because I wasn’t expecting that at all, so I’m happy about that,” McKinney said.

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant attended the ceremony. She told the graduates that it’s been “drilled in our heads” that college is the “way to go,” but there are successful careers in trades.

She touted the economic strength of the county, which she said has seen “unprecedented growth” in infrastructure investment from the state and federal government.

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant at the graduation ceremony for the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program in Will County on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.

“The Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program is a key component for modernizing how we’re preparing people for their manufacturing jobs up to date and tomorrow, which is making the industry more resilient to changes,” Bertino-Tarrant said.

The program also has created a more “equitable workforce and careers that have not always been accessible to everyone,” she said.

“The [pre-apprenticeship program] and HIRE360 is handing the keys to careers in the trades for those who have been locked out for too long,” Bertino-Tarrant said.

Graduates of the Will County Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program:

  • Julian Saldana
  • Aiden Netzky
  • Andrew Ryan
  • Asante McKinney
  • Cierra Smith
  • Daniela Diaz-Diaz
  • Gabrielle Chapman
  • Israel Rios
  • Jacovi Evans
  • Jaden Jordan
  • Justin Smart
  • Leo Marks
  • Marycarmen Diaz Rueda
  • Mayra Garcia
  • Nacir Fountaine
  • Naranchuluu Amarsanaa
  • Steffany Iniguez
  • Trevonte Luckett
Felix Sarver

Felix Sarver

Felix Sarver covers crime and courts for The Herald-News