EAST PEORIA, Ill. – Representatives of the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA) are making the rounds of Illinois junior colleges to promote their new livestock apprenticeship program. The program, which was registered with the Department of Labor through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, will prepare career seekers to succeed in the role of swine animal care technician. The goal of the program is to encourage students to choose a career in the livestock industry while attending college and advancing their goals.

According to Jackie Wibel, IPPA director of content creation and community relations, participating apprentices will receive competitive compensation that will increase as they progress through the program. Apprentices will also receive a debt-free education and livestock certificate from one of five participating community colleges. Wibel was on hand to offer information about the program during a September tech-curriculum showcase at one of the participating schools, Illinois Central College in East Peoria, where over 400 area high school juniors and seniors were in attendance.

“This new program is a two-year program where we pair you with a pork producer in your area. In exchange for you working with them, the farmer would pay your tuition,” Wibel explained to a student who approached Wibel to learn about the program, and the pork industry in general. “Each school has its own curriculum criteria, so we supply links to these school’s contacts on our website so students can find which courses they will be required to take.”

Colleges participating in the IPPA apprenticeship program along with ICC are John Wood Community College, Quincy; Kaskaskia Community College, Centralia; Lake Land Community College, Mattoon, and Lincoln Land Community College, Springfield. While ICC’s apprenticeship program will not begin until the fall of 2026, a couple of the participating colleges will roll out their program opportunities in spring 2026.

“We decided to create this program to address one specific need,” Wibel told Farm World. “We need more people to go back to the farm and work. We are having labor issues on pretty much any kind of farm, not just the big farms. I think it’s more of the smaller farms that need more people to come back and work for them, and we hope this program can kind of incentivize that.”

In these tough financial times for many families, the offer of a free two-year certificate program combined with real-world work experience could nudge those who hadn’t considered a career in agriculture toward the industry, Wibel added.

“They are going to graduate with a certificate and be debt-free,” she said.

No sponsoring farm families have yet been selected for the apprenticeship at ICC, which is in Tazewell County in central Illinois. Once a student declares their interest in the program for the 2026 fall semester, Wibel will reach out to interested producers and connect them with the apprentice.

The five community colleges were initially selected to participate because they have strong agriculturally based programs and geographically represent a large portion of the swine production in the state, according to Jennifer Tirey, IPPA executive director. “When I contacted each of the community colleges to gauge interest they were all very excited to participate and work alongside our association to increase job creation within the pork industry,” she stated.

The program was established with assistance from Apprenticeship Illinois, an online concierge service that helps businesses create registered apprenticeship programs. IPPA will work with the five participating colleges and the state’s network of localized Apprenticeship Specialists to promote the program.

“After connecting with Apprenticeship Illinois, they assisted us through the entire registration process. We worked with the five community colleges to ensure they had the high-quality curriculum our producers were looking for, and less than six months later we are proud to be rolling out the first livestock focused apprenticeship program in Illinois,” Tirey said.

According to an IPPA news release, pork producers interested in hosting an apprentice must sign an agreement with the students to offset their tuition costs in exchange for workforce training. Tuition costs taken on by the participating producers will be offset by the Apprenticeship Illinois Tax Credit, which allows employers up to $5,000 per apprentice per year in reimbursement for training costs. Students will be expected to work on-farm and complete the job competencies outlined in the job position to receive their certificate at the end of the two years.

Students interested in applying for this apprenticeship opportunity should reach out to Tirey at jennifer@ilpork.com. Employers interested in developing a registered apprenticeship program or contacting the State Apprenticeship Mentor can find more information at ApprenticeshipIllinois.com.