Burns and McDonnell – Designer Apprentice
Website https://twitter.com/BurnsMcDonnell?ref_src=twsrcgoogletwcampserptwgrauthor BURNS & MCDONNELL
Making Our Clients Successful
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Closing date: 01/30/2026
Job Title: Designer Apprentice
Hours Per Week: 25 – 35 (flexible, but fixed schedule during company’s core business hours, Monday-Friday 7am-6pm)
Wage: $19 – $28/hour
Start Date: Early Spring 2026 (mid-February)
Apprenticeship Term: 6 Months – 1 Year, with eligibility for full-time employment after successful completion of program.
Eligibility: Must be eligible to work in the United States without sponsorship.
Enrollment in a CCC academic program during the apprenticeship program is mandatory. Associate in Applied Science degree program in Computer-Aided Drafting or related program preferred
Education Requirements: Some CAD coursework preferred
Location: On-site in Downtown Chicago Office
Modality: In-person (not a remote position)
About Burns & McDonnell
Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies with an unmatched team of 7,600 engineers, designers, construction professionals, architects, technologists, and scientists. Our singular mission since 1898 has been to make our clients successful. When we plan, design, permit, construct and manage projects worldwide, we do it like we own it.
Burns & McDonnell is a 100% employee-owned company. We tackle every technical challenge, every complex detail, with the intent and attention of an owner. It’s what brings our clients back, project after project.
We deliver projects with an integrated construction and design mindset because everything is connected — design, procurement, and the sequencing of construction. We leverage our knowledge, technology, and commitment of ownership to deliver safe, innovative, and quality projects. We are designed to build.
About the Apprenticeship Opportunity
The Designer Apprenticeships provides an incredible opportunity to leverage your drafting skills to learn the design and engineering process of a variety of engineering disciplines. We are offering year-long positions, providing salary, training, and a flexible schedule with an opportunity to achieve Employee Ownership at the end of the program!
Earn: A competitive hourly wage while you learn a lucrative skill set
Learn: Enrollment in a CCC academic program during the apprenticeship program mandatory. Associate in Applied Science degree program in Computer-Aided Drafting or related program preferred
The Work:
Our Designer Apprentices are responsible for revising and preparing drawings of basic components from explicit verbal or written instructions and detailed sketches. This position successfully plots drawings; learns and follows company and client drafting standards and procedures; and, most importantly, learns the engineering and design practices of their selected business line.
Here’s what you need:
Are you a self-motivated difference maker with a passion for innovation, design, and infrastructure? Then bring your entrepreneurial spirit to a top-ranked, and nationally recognized “Great Place to Work” to start building your story at Burns & McDonnell.
- Pursuing an associate degree in the Applied Science, focus on Computer Automated Drafting and Design (CAD) is preferred.
- Ambition to do more than drafting with the skills you learn in the classroom and in the office.
- Communication skills that make it easy for you to operate successfully on a team.
- Engagement and ownership of any task put in front of you.
- Passion for success!
Other Eligibility Requirements: Subject to criminal background checks and drug screening; must be eligible for work in the US
At Burns & McDonnell, the Design Technology team is not just CAD anymore! Our team has a strong, goal-oriented focus on developing the next generation of designers, coordinators, and technologists. These team-members are pivotal in the engineering and construction of high voltage electrical substations, including layout, power system analysis, and control/relay design, designing high voltage transmission structures, low voltage distribution networks, gas pipeline infrastructure, and much more. Our Design Technology team is blazing new trails and driving a culture of innovation at Burns & McDonnell, providing unlimited opportunities for growth and exploration into project execution as well as the ever-expanding world of new technologies.
Before you Apply:
Click here to download sample resume and cover letter
Contact the Career Development Department at your campus for assistance with your résumé, cover letter or interviewing workshops:
Contact through Navigate
- Daley College – Julie MacCarthy – on Navigate
- Harold Washington College – Jasmin Dobson, Ashley Smith – on Navigate
- Kennedy-King College – Ingrid Prioleau Byrd – on Navigate
Contact through email:
- Malcolm X College – MXC-Careers@ccc.edu
- Olive-Harvey College – Charlene Haymond-Bussell – chaymond-bussell@ccc.edu
- Truman College – Meredith Gallo-Murphy – mgallo-murphy@ccc.edu
- Wilbur Wright College – Joe Reaves – jreaves@ccc.edu
How to Apply:
- Review this job description
- Update your Resume and Cover Letter (templates above)
- Click the link below to Apply
- After completing the application link, your résumé and cover letter will be screened by CCC to determine. If you meet the requirements for the position, you’ll be contacted for the next steps.
