Cara Siegel on Hire360, Clean Energy Jobs and Tradeswomen Retention

A new pre-apprenticeship pipeline in Illinois is giving workers a low-risk entry point into union construction careers tied to clean energy growth. On the first edition of Trades Day on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 601 Journeyperson and East Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council Instructor Cara Siegel described how the Hire360 model is building basic skills, confidence and real application momentum across multiple trades.

Siegel also offered an assessment of efforts to recruit more women into the trades. Retention will depend on job-site culture, family support systems, and the benefits structure, which determine whether a career in the building trades can be sustainable over the long haul.

• Hire360’s pre-apprenticeship is a practical on-ramp that helps students test the trades, build baseline skills and move into annual union application cycles.
• Illinois’ clean energy policy is shaping demand for electricians and other crafts needed for solar, wind and grid work.
• Retention remains the hardest problem for tradeswomen as childcare, leave and unpaid time off collide with construction schedules.

Trades Day spotlight: a new pipeline takes shape in Illinois

In the first edition of the America’s Work Force Trades Day feature, Ed “Flash” Ferenc was joined by Cara Siegel, a guest who represents two realities in the building trades: the demand for skilled labor is rising, but the pathway into the work is still unfamiliar to many people who would thrive in it.

Cara Siegel, an instructor with the East Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council and a Journeyperson with IBEW Local 601 in Champaign, described a state-backed pre-apprenticeship effort that began last year and is already producing measurable momentum. The program, supported by Hire360, is designed to introduce people to union construction careers while building the basic competencies that apprenticeship programs expect.

Hire360 students get exposure to tools, math and job-site expectations before they commit to a multi-year apprenticeship. For many, that early contact is the difference between seeing the trades as a vague idea and seeing them as a real plan.

From a bachelor’s degree to the electrical trade

Siegel’s own story reflects the kind of career pivot that workforce leaders are trying to make easier. She followed a conventional path after high school, attending the University of Illinois and earning a bachelor’s degree in jewelry and metalsmithing. After several years in the workforce, she said she hit a familiar wall: the pay was not enough, and the work did not feel sustainable.

A pre-apprenticeship changed the trajectory. Siegel entered a highway construction careers training program at Parkland College, supported by the Illinois Department of Transportation. That experience helped her see the trades as a viable option, then narrowed her focus to electrical work. She applied, tested, and entered an IBEW-registered apprenticeship.

Her arts background did not disappear. She described how working with metal and developing an ability to think through problems translated into the trade. The difference, she said, is scale. She still makes jewelry at times, but her day-to-day work is building buildings.

Teaching adults: the new challenge inside the classroom

Siegel’s transition into instruction was eased by earlier teaching experience. She had taught at an art museum and served as a substitute teacher in local grade schools. The bigger adjustment, she said, was learning how to teach adults.

Adult students arrive with uneven preparation. Some have strong math skills. Others have never read a tape measure with confidence. Some have used tools for years. Others are starting from scratch. Siegel said the instructor’s job is to meet students where they are while maintaining higher expectations than a typical youth classroom.

Her current cohort has 19 students. As the class moved toward completion, she observed a split that the program is built to accommodate: some students are energized to pursue an apprenticeship, while others decide the trades are not for them. Siegel framed that outcome as success, not failure. A pre-apprenticeship is meant to reduce risk for workers and the industry by helping people make informed choices.

How Hire360 is scaling career connections statewide

Siegel said Hire360 has a track record of building job training and career connections, particularly in Chicago, and the model is now expanding across Illinois. The East Central Illinois program is still young, with only a few cohorts completed so far. Siegel has taught two groups and said the program continues to refine its approach.

For people who did not grow up around union construction, the trades can feel hidden. Pre-apprenticeship makes the work visible, then provides structured steps toward apprenticeship applications.

Clean energy policy and the demand for skilled union labor

The program is tied to Illinois’ clean energy agenda, including work aligned with wind and solar development. Siegel described clean energy jobs as teamwork across multiple crafts. Electricians are central to solar projects. Wind projects also require multiple trades, including ironworkers and electricians.

She stressed that clean energy work still requires a baseline skill set. The program’s purpose is to build that foundation so new entrants can succeed once they reach apprenticeship and job sites.

Siegel also offered a nuanced view of the state’s energy mix. She works at a power plant that uses coal part of the year, giving her a perspective on both legacy generation and new buildout. She said clean energy is advancing in Illinois, but not yet enough to cover total demand. She argued for a balanced approach to expansion, adding that nuclear power should be a key part of addressing long-term needs. She acknowledged that public fears about nuclear energy remain a barrier, making solar and wind a more politically acceptable middle ground despite efficiency limits.

Data centers, power demand and community oversight

Siegel next discussed the growth of data center construction, which she said has been a boost for IBEW opportunities. She also voiced personal concerns about environmental impact and community effects.

Siegel emphasized that her view was her own, not an official position of the IBEW or the building trades council. Her concern centered on speed and oversight. She is concerned that rapid buildouts will strain local power systems and raise costs for residents.

Siegel’s broader point was governance. If communities are told a project will improve local conditions, she said, there should be checks and balances to ensure the outcome matches the promise.

Measuring success: confidence, applications and the next cycle

Siegel said the program’s early success will be clearest during the upcoming union application season. Many trades in the region accept new apprentices once a year. She expects the next cycle to show how many graduates move from pre-apprenticeship into registered apprenticeship programs.

She described strong application activity among recent cohorts, with students applying and testing across multiple unions. Beyond placement, she highlighted a second metric that matters in workforce development: confidence. Students complete hands-on projects that many would not attempt on their own. Siegel said the step-by-step instruction helps reduce fear and builds self-esteem.

She described basic electrical circuit projects she designed for students, along with exposure to other crafts through projects led by plumbers, fitters and carpenters. Even for students who do not enter the trades, she said the program can strengthen their willingness to try new skills.

Expansion limits: instructors, nights and Saturdays

The program’s next growth step is already being discussed. Siegel said there has been talk of running two Champaign programs and one Danville program concurrently. For now, the structure remains a single program per location.

Scaling up will require instructors willing to commit to night and Saturday classes. Siegel said the time commitment appears to be the main barrier. Expanded programming would mean classes four nights a week instead of two, plus two Saturday groups instead of one.

Recruiting women is real; retention is the hard part

Siegel described outreach efforts to bring more women into the trades. She highlighted a Parkland College event called Trade Up, which brings eighth-graders from area schools to learn about careers in the skilled trades. She began volunteering to show young women that union construction is a viable path.

When Siegel started, she said she was the only woman from any trade representing her craft. She reported that young women participated more actively when they saw a woman doing the work. Siegel hopes that students who see that example in middle school will later apply, test and enter an apprenticeship.

On retention, Siegel was blunt. She said progress is not moving fast enough. She described childcare and family responsibilities as a major pressure point, especially when women are expected to carry most of the load. She also pointed to the lack of paid time off and accrued vacation in many construction settings, which can make balancing family life and jobsite schedules difficult without strong support networks.

CLUW and Tradeswomen Build Nations: building community inside labor

Siegel helped launch local activity connected to the Coalition of Labor Union Women, an AFL-CIO affiliate. She said she declined a nomination for a leadership position because she believed her best contribution was teaching. She described a challenge in the group’s early meetings: bridging the different needs of tradeswomen and union women in the non-building trades sectors.

She also attended the 2025 Tradeswomen Build Nations conference in Chicago, describing it as a powerful experience. She said she expects to attend again in the future and hopes other women from Local 601 will attend as well.

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