Terence Davis Finishes a Champaign Pre-Apprenticeship and Goes to Work as a Union Glazier

SECOND SHIFT · FROM THE FIELD

Champaign, Illinois · Construction · Pre-apprenticeship

Original reporting: Luke Taylor, The News-Gazette · October 3, 2026

Terence Davis had never heard of a glazier before he joined the Hire360 East Central Illinois Pre-Apprenticeship Program, The News-Gazette’s Luke Taylor reports. He finished the program in June and now works in the trade, installing glass and architectural metal, according to the report.

Davis told the paper he went in knowing only about “basic” union trades such as plumbing, carpentry and electrical work. The program taught union history, math and trade vocabulary along with job-application help. When glazing came up, he asked about it and decided it was the right fit.

He said he was working within a few days of graduating and soon had his union membership card. “It’s super cool to be able to show my kids that, and my kids will be able to walk with me in the Labor Day parade,” Davis told The News-Gazette.

The program works with Champaign’s Community Gun Violence Reduction Blueprint, which had spots reserved in Hire360 for its participants. Davis was scheduled to speak at the program’s Oct. 3 graduation for more than a dozen new graduates, along with Mayor Deb Feinen.

Pre-apprenticeship programs feed registered union apprenticeships, and Davis’ case shows two pieces that matter for regions trying to staff construction work: exposure to lesser-known finishing trades such as glazing, and practical support. Feinen told the paper that instructors give participants rides and reminder calls, and that Illinois is pushing to get more people into the skilled trades. For communities competing for construction-heavy projects, a local pre-apprenticeship pipeline tied to the building trades is part of the labor-supply case. That is our analysis; the facts are as reported.

Read the original reporting at The News-Gazette →

Second Shift tells the stories of people building what’s next through new skills, new careers and second chances. From the Field items are curated from credited reporting, with Location Decision’s perspective. Location Decision Originals are independently reported by our team.

Curated by Location Decision. Originally reported by Luke Taylor, The News-Gazette, October 3, 2026.

This item was sourced and drafted with AI assistance and reviewed under Location Decision’s editorial standards. Second Shift tracks workforce outcomes to inform our broader editorial analysis. All reporting belongs to the credited journalists; read the original story for the full account.