Trade school programs in Illinois
692 trade school programs in 20 fields of skilled trades, with results and funding that can make them free
115 schools offer these programs, and Illinois has approved every one for workforce funding. Compare the 20 fields below, then open one to see each program with its price and how past students did.
Trade school programs teach hands-on work with tools, machines and building systems. That runs from building work like carpentry, plumbing and electrical, through repairing cars, diesel trucks, heating and cooling systems and factory machinery, to welding, sheet metal, masonry, auto body repair, CNC machining, manufacturing and electronics work, solar and wind installation, water treatment, workplace safety, running heavy equipment and cranes, and inspecting homes. Most are certificates; some are two-year degrees or apprenticeships.
All job training programs in Illinois, every line of work
Accredited trade schools in Illinois, each school with its accreditor
Trade school programs by state, to compare Illinois with other states
Compare trade school programs in Illinois: cost, pay and results
136 programs at 63 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not enough data
- Working 6 months later
- Not enough data
- Finished
- Not reported
103 programs at 39 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not enough data
- Working 6 months later
- Not enough data
- Finished
- Not reported
84 programs at 35 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not enough data
- Working 6 months later
- Not enough data
- Finished
- Not reported
77 programs at 39 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not enough data
- Working 6 months later
- Not enough data
- Finished
- Not reported
64 programs at 33 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not reported
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Finished
- Not reported
40 programs at 22 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not enough data
- Working 6 months later
- Not enough data
- Finished
- Not reported
30 programs at 23 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not enough data
- Working 6 months later
- Not enough data
- Finished
- Not reported
27 programs at 15 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not enough data
- Working 6 months later
- Not enough data
- Finished
- Not reported
24 programs at 20 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not enough data
- Working 6 months later
- Not enough data
- Finished
- Not reported
22 programs at 17 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not enough data
- Working 6 months later
- Not enough data
- Finished
- Not reported
20 programs at 13 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not enough data
- Working 6 months later
- Not enough data
- Finished
- Not reported
16 programs at 9 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not enough data
- Working 6 months later
- Not enough data
- Finished
- Not reported
13 programs at 9 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not reported
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Finished
- Not reported
9 programs at 5 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not reported
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Finished
- Not reported
9 programs at 6 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not enough data
- Working 6 months later
- Not enough data
- Finished
- Not reported
6 programs at 4 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not reported
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Finished
- Not reported
5 programs at 2 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not reported
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Finished
- Not reported
4 programs at 3 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not reported
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Finished
- Not reported
2 programs at 2 schools
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not reported
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Finished
- Not reported
1 program at one school
- Most cost
- Left out
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not reported
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Finished
- Not reported
Each figure is the middle program of that field. Yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are counted; other schools in Illinois may offer more. How these figures are made
Other job training in Illinois, by line of work
- IT certification programs460
- Business and office training358
- Medical certification programs328
- Nursing and patient care programs225
- Allied health programs173
- Transportation and logistics training147
- First responder training98
- Child care and social services training78
- Culinary and hospitality programs34
- Beauty school7
- All job training in Illinois2,600
Programs approved in Illinois in each line of work.
Where the Illinois trade school numbers come from
Which Illinois programs are counted?
Programs Illinois approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) in the fields listed above. Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).5 They come from the US Department of Labor's file for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025), covering programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Illinois offers.
What the figures for each field mean
Each figure is the middle program among those that report it: half did better, half did worse. Prices are what most programs cost if you pay yourself (the middle half). Earnings are for the second quarter after students left, times four. Where a figure is missing, the table says why: "Not reported", "Left out" or "Not enough data" (what each means).
How reliable are the Illinois figures?
The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Illinois among the states with "known data quality concerns".6 We leave out the share who finished for Illinois: only a few programs report it, and those at a typical 11%. We leave out prices for Illinois: the state files a code in place of each price, so no price can be shown.
Sources for the funding facts about trade school programs in Illinois
Show the 6 sourcesHide the sources
- US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
- US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
- Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
- US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
- US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List
- US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: search page, note on states with known data quality concerns