Other Key Initiatives
Project like these help CWB address workforce development needs across industries and communities:
Chicago Housing Authority Partnerships
The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Plan for Transformation is an ambitious $1.6 billion initiative to change not only the physical infrastructure of the CHA, but also to transform the lives of CHA residents through career-focused workforce development and movement toward self-sufficiency.
To accomplish this goal, the CHA has partnered with the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development and the Partnership for New Communities to create Opportunity Chicago -- a $23 million Workforce Development Initiative (WDI). A group of workforce development experts and stakeholders called the Strategic Advisers Group directs this comprehensive workforce development strategy.
The Chicago Workforce Board is part of this landmark initiative as a member of the Strategic Advisers group, and it is also engaged in implementing part of the WDI Employer Engagement Strategy. CWB is providing administrative support, including salaries and project-related expenses, for two “industry specialists” in the Healthcare and Transportation, Warehousing, and Logistics (TWL) sectors in Phase I of Opportunity Chicago's Employer Engagement Strategy. In Phase II, the Chicago Workforce Board will contract with a provider to serve as the “industry specialist” for the Basic Office sector, providing outreach to employers and specialized skills training for public-housing residents that will result in 160 employment placements by the end of 2008.
To learn more about this important initiative, visit www.thepartnershipfornewcommunities.org.
Microsoft Unlimited Potential Project
The Chicago Workforce Board is one of a small number of Workforce Boards across the country to receive a cash and software grant from Microsoft Corporation. This grant is supporting a pilot program offering basic computer skills training at three locations: Daley and Pilsen Chicago Workforce Centers and the 10 S. Kedzie affiliate. The goal of the project is to provide basic computer skills to at least 200 customers, resulting in their ability to pass internationally recognized IT skills certification tests.
Veterans Job Fair: It's Our Duty to Care
The Chicago Workforce Board participated in a city-wide Veterans Job and Resource Fair on May 18th, 2007 at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Herman Union Building. This employment and resource fair connected veterans to more than 100 employers as well as federal, state, and city-wide benefit programs. Approximately 1,200 job seekers attended this event.
Over 30 city, state and federal agencies developed this new model for connecting veterans to jobs and resources. Critical to the new model was the implementation of a series of pre-event job readiness workshops which included classes on resume writing, interview skills, and internet job search/online applications. The One-Stop Center Business Services Teams led the effort to recruit employers and included the Workforce Centers for Business (ManufacturingWorks, ServiceWorks) and other MOWD affiliates. At the event, an area was dedicated to providing resources on-site such as Illinois workNet™. The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, Chicago Family Assistance Center, Thresholds, and others were on hand to serve the immediate needs of veterans.
The following representatives from the city, state and federal government attended: Mayor Richard M. Daley, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, Congressman Rahm Emanuel, Director Jack Lavin, Director James P. Sledge, Alderman James Balcer, Alderman Ray Suarez, Commissioner Myer Blank, Commissioner Sheryl McGill, and Commissioner David Hanson.
Participating agencies:
- STATE AGENCIES: Illinois Department of Employment Security; Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs; Illinois Department of Transportation; Illinois Central Management Services; Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity; and Illinois Department of Human Services/Division of Rehabilitation Services.
- CITY AGENCIES: Chicago Workforce Board; Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development; Chicago Veterans Resource Center; Chicago Department of Human Resources; Chicago Family Assistance Center; City Colleges of Chicago; Chicago Department of Housing; Chicago Department of Human Services; Chicago Department of Children & Youth Services; Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities; Chicago Transit Authority; Chicago Police Department; Chicago Department on Aging; Commission on Human Relations; and Chicago Workforce Centers.
- FEDERAL AGENCIES: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Social Security Administration; U.S. Department of Labor; Paul Simon Job Corps Center; U.S. Homeland Security; Great Lakes Naval Academy; Jesse Brown VA Center; Oak Park VA Center; U.S. Army; U.S. Air Force; U.S. Navy; and National Reserves.
- COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS: Albany Park Community Center; Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind & Visually Impaired; Thresholds and American Legion.
There was an additional Veterans Job Fair on June 22nd, 2007.