Service Industries - Hotel, Resturants & Retail
ServiceWorks
In early 2006, the Chicago Workforce Board and Mayor's Office of Workforce Development launched the Workforce Center for the Service Industries -- also known as ServiceWorks. The center helps businesses find qualified applicants, reduce turnover through specialized pre-screening, and cultivates advancement of workers by providing customized training services and other staff development support. The Center also provides resources for employers to access workforce-related services and information on labor markets, tax credits, ADA compliance, and linkages to other workforce programs. ServiceWorks also provides access to national professional certifications like the customer service and sales credentials from the National Retail Federation.
Contact ServiceWorks at 312-494-9346.
Service Industries Career Crosswalk/City Colleges Hospitality Bridge Program
The Chicago Workforce Board recently released a ground-breaking report, “Career Pathways and Crosswalks in the Hotel, Retail & Restaurant Industries.” The report, completed for the Board with the support of the Joyce Foundation, examines career pathways and crosswalks in the hotel, retail, and restaurant industries. These three industries represent nearly 188,000 jobs in the City of Chicago and over 720,000 jobs in the region. Working with businesses and industry associations, researchers mapped the structure of jobs, wages, skills and competencies across the three sectors, identified existing and potential career pathways and crosswalks, and identified the key labor market challenges for workers and employers in these sectors.
The research findings confirmed the existence of crosswalks between hotel, retail, and restaurant industries, which are made possible by common skill requirements for jobs and career progressions across industries. It showed that appropriately designed education and training programs could facilitate cross-industry transitions by equipping individuals with industry recognized credentials or certifications, helping them gain needed experience through applied learning opportunities, and assisting them in accessing hiring networks within those industries.
The study’s findings are already being used to create innovative training programs, like the City Colleges of Chicago Hospitality Bridge Program. A bridge program is a training program to prepare adults who lack basic skills to enter and succeed in postsecondary education and training, leading to career-path employment. This is currently the only program in Chicago that offers certification training in three different service industry areas as part of one comprehensive program. Participants will earn entry-level hotel certification provided by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute, Retail Customer Service Certification provided by the National Retail Federation, and Food Service Sanitation Manager licenses from the City of Chicago. Upon completion of the 12-week Hospitality Bridge Program, students will have earned five industry certificates and a total of eight college credits toward a two-year degree in Hospitality Management in the Harold Washington College AAS degree program.