City Colleges Partners with Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters

Deborah Bayliss | As of Friday, July 18, 2014


An agreement that begins in the fall between the City Colleges of Chicago and the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, (CRCC), allows carpenters who graduated from a union apprenticeship program, to transfer up to 40 credit hours towards their City Colleges Associate Degree.

“The partnership between City Colleges of Chicago and the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters will allow carpenters to more easily earn an Associate Degree, opening doors to construction management opportunities,” said Mayor Emanuel, who made the announcement last week with City Colleges, Chancellor, Cheryl Hyman. “Working with industry leaders ensures students at City Colleges receive the best training available to build skills so they are prepared to succeed in 21st century careers.” 

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“Our objective is to advance the education of our apprentices and journeymen. We are proud to enter into a partnership with City Colleges of Chicago and we thank Mayor Emanuel for his help and leadership.” -- Frank Libby, President of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters speaking about the partnership with City Colleges of Chicago that will benefit carpenter who graduate from an apprenticeship program.

For carpentry apprentices, this means they could need as few as 20 credit hours, or as little as one and a half semesters, to receive a degree.

“In today’s economy, post-secondary education is increasingly a pre-requisite for career success,” said Chancellor Hyman. “This partnership will allow more Chicagoans to move quickly along a path to a college degree without all the debt, to continue to advance in their careers, and contribute to the building of a strong, vibrant city.”  

A post-secondary degree is increasingly a needed step on the path to management positions in the construction field. 

CRCC apprentices will receive credit for their depth of knowledge, and maximize their time on the way to a degree.  The program opens the doors to higher education for many who may have perceived a degree to be time or cost prohibitive.

“Our objective is to advance the education of our apprentices and journeymen,” said Frank Libby, President of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters. “We are proud to enter into a partnership with City Colleges of Chicago and we thank Mayor Emanuel for his help and leadership.”  

Interested CRCC apprentice and journeymen should contact the Carpenters’ Training Center in Elk Grove Village, 1256 Estes Ave, by calling, (847) 640-7373, for an in-person consultation on what degree or continuing education path they are ultimately seeking.

Applicants must then complete an evaluation before being accepted into the program. 

The CRCC apprenticeship program consists of 12 to16 weeks of classroom training along with more than 5,700 hours of on-the-job training.

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