Illinois Offers Up to $60K in Student Loan Relief to Attract Engineers

As transportation agencies across the country struggle to hire enough engineers, Illinois is trying a new approach: helping pay off student loans.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced a new hiring program that will offer student loan repayment assistance to up to 50 newly hired civil engineers who graduated from Illinois colleges and universities.

The goal is to attract younger workers into a profession that has been facing growing shortages nationwide.

How the Program Works

Under the new pilot program, eligible engineers could receive up to $15,000 a year toward student loan debt for as many as four years. In total, the benefit could reach $60,000 per employee.

The payments will begin after the engineer has worked continuously at IDOT for at least four years.

Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi said the program is designed to ease some of the financial pressure many graduates face while also encouraging more people to consider careers in public infrastructure.

“Engineers at IDOT make a positive impact on the public every day,” Biagi said in the announcement. “This program will reduce the financial burden for new engineers coming out of college and open the door to a meaningful career.”

To qualify, engineers must be hired by IDOT on or after July 1, 2024. The department says the program will focus on positions and regions where staffing shortages are the greatest, and qualifying jobs will be identified in future postings.

A Growing Engineering Shortage

The effort comes as engineering programs and transportation agencies continue dealing with workforce challenges.

According to data from the American Council of Engineering Companies, roughly 184,000 engineers leave or retire from the profession each year, while only about 166,000 new engineers enter the workforce. That leaves an annual gap of nearly 20,000 engineers nationwide.

The number of engineering graduates has also been declining in recent years. National figures show engineering graduates peaked at around 214,000 in 2019 before dropping by more than 10,000 students afterward.

State officials say the loan repayment program is one piece of a broader push to make IDOT more competitive in recruiting young talent.

Last year, IDOT partnered with the Illinois Department of Central Management Services to launch an “Intern to Hire” program aimed at helping engineering interns move into full-time jobs with the agency after graduation.

Lawmakers and Industry Leaders Back the Plan

The student loan initiative was created through legislation proposed by State Sen. Ram Villivalam of Chicago. Villivalam said the rising cost of higher education has become a major barrier for many students interested in engineering careers.

“I am proud to have worked with the Illinois Department of Transportation on the Higher Education Student Loan Repayment Assistance for Engineers Pilot Program,” Villivalam said. “This initiative will help people access higher education opportunities without being overwhelmed by loan repayments.”

Industry leaders also praised the program, calling it one of the first efforts of its kind focused specifically on transportation engineering jobs.

Kevin Artl, president and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois, said workforce shortages continue to affect both engineering firms and public agencies across the state.

He said the program could help attract and keep the next generation of engineers needed for major infrastructure projects, including work tied to Illinois’ large-scale Rebuild Illinois capital program.

Major Infrastructure Projects Need More Workers

Passed in 2019, Gov. JB Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois program is investing $33.2 billion into roads, bridges, transit systems, and other transportation infrastructure statewide.

Combined with federal infrastructure funding approved in 2021, the state is now managing one of the largest waves of transportation construction projects in Illinois history.

IDOT currently employs about 1,000 civil engineers, and department officials say new hires will have opportunities to work across several areas of transportation engineering through the agency’s rotation program, which exposes employees to different types of projects and specialties early in their careers.

The student loan repayment program is currently being launched as a pilot program, meaning it will still depend on future funding and legislative approval to continue long term.

Source: INDOT