Grundy Reporter

State Rep. Jed Davis (R-Yorkville) has introduced a bill aimed at tackling both the labor shortage and the teacher shortage in Illinois.

The legislation proposes the creation of a small business advisory council and encourages qualified individuals with 10,000 relevant hours in manufacturing, engineering, technology, or trade professions to teach in high school classrooms, with the goal of inspiring future generations to pursue these trades and professions.

He believes that empowering experienced professionals in manufacturing, engineering, technology, and trade fields to become educators will not only help address the teacher shortage but also provide students with valuable exposure to these vital career paths.

“I recently filed a bill to address both the labor and teacher shortage,” Davis said on a “One Minute Legislation” video on Facebook.

“A small business advisory council of mine – we meet here in my office – I’ve heard those issues over and over and over again. So let’s address them head-on. In the manufacturing, engineering, technology, or trade professions, if you have in excess of 10,000 relevant hours, you are more than qualified to teach those in the classroom. So let’s empower people to do so.”

“And by teaching them back into the high school curriculum, we are now compelling the youth, our future workers, for our state to have interest in these trades, in these professions. So hopefully they’re intrigued, they want to pursue them in the future, thus helping solve the labor shortage and also backfilling the massive teacher shortage by allowing these individuals who are more than qualified in the classroom to teach our sons and daughters. It’s a great piece of legislation and I can’t wait to be a champion for it down in Springfield. Stay tuned for more.”

Davis’ House Bill 4173 is aimed at addressing the labor and teacher shortage in Illinois.

The bill proposes the issuance of METT Educator District Licenses to individuals with at least 10,000 working hours in manufacturing, engineering, technology, or trade fields, even if they lack a bachelor’s degree in education, with the goal of addressing critical teacher shortages in these subjects and connecting qualified professionals to schools in need.

“Amends the School Code. Allows a METT Educator District License for teaching a course in manufacturing, engineering, technology, or a trade (METT) to be issued to an applicant who has at least 10,000 working hours in a trade. Provides that a METT Educator District License may be issued to qualified individuals who have not obtained a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent number of hours in an educational program at an institution of higher education,” the bill’s synopsis reads in part.

Davis is a member of the Illinois Freedom Caucus along with State Representatives, Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich), Chris Miller (R-Oakland), Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville), Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City), David Friess (R-Red Bud), and Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur).