Illinois Retail Leaders Apprenticeship Program

The Illinois Retail Leaders Apprenticeship Program provides training and real-world experience for retail operation specialists. The program is certified by the U.S. Department of Labor and comes at no cost to the employer.

• 150 hours of online retail instruction
• 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training
• Apprentices earn a USDOL Retail Operations Specialist Certificate

The program is NOT for those seeking employment. It is for those who are already employed in the retail industry.

Through the U.S. Dept. of Labor-approved courses, students will learn the ins and outs of retail, such as loss prevention, merchandising/display design, inventory management, cash flow & finance, conflict resolution, logistics, customer service, and more!

Individuals currently working in retail, those pursuing long-term retail careers in management or leadership roles, or people looking to transition into the industry.

The program is completely FREE and comes at no-cost to the employer or the apprentice.

Retail is the activity of selling goods or services to consumers or other end users. It includes businesses such as: brick and mortar stores, department stores, mom & pop stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, services, hotels and motels, auto dealerships, restaurants, e-commerce, vending, home improvement, and many more.

Retail is the nation’s largest employer and offers an incredible number of opportunities. A few of these include department managers, area managers, accounting, marketing, human resources, IT, retail buying, visual merchandising, supply chain management, security and loss prevention, and many others.