I'm both honored and thrilled to be serving as CWIC's Interim CEO during this time of change and innovation in Chicago and Cook County.  The world of work has changed, and Mayor Emanuel and County Board President Preckwinkle are on target in emphasizing the connection between economic growth and the need to upgrade workers' skills.

The subject of jobs was clearly on Mayor Emanuel's mind at the Clinton Global Initiative, a two-day conference in late June on the economy and jobs.  He pointed out the apparent disconnect between an estimated 120,000 job vacancies in Chicago and an unemployment rate of more than 9 percent.  That comment reported in the news media created a stir as people wondered just where those jobs are. 

The information actually came from an analysis on CWIC's Web site.  Using the Help Wanted Online data source, a service of the not-for-profit Conference Board, CWIC analyzed job postings pulled from internet job boards in the first quarter of 2011 to develop an understanding of local job demand and employer needs. The results show that three occupational categories - computer and mathematical occupations, management posts and sales positions - make up nearly half of all the jobs advertised during this period.

When a report about the source of Mayor Emanuel's comment aired on a local television news broadcast, it elicited several viewer postings to the station's Web site. One in particular caught my attention. The writer lamented that "these jobs are for the highly educated...What about people who just do basic jobs?" He or she added that most people who lost their jobs are not computer experts. "We worked in factories...I see NO factory jobs...Your gonna scream jobs are waiting...BUT ONLY FOR THE CHOSEN FEW (quoted as posted)."

It is important to note that there are some limitations to our data source - some industries use methods other than online job boards for hiring, including industries that have heavily unionized.  In addition, low-skilled jobs are often filled easily, without the need to post online.  

Even so, that posting couldn't have stated more dramatically the case for upgrading the skills of our workforce. The fact is that by 2018, 64 percent of jobs in Illinois will require a post-secondary degree, according to a Georgetown University report projecting future jobs and the education requirements necessary to fill them. However, only 37 percent of adult Chicagoans have earned associates degrees or higher.

Another 21 percent of working-age residents have neither completed high school nor earned a GED. For these individuals, a wide gulf exists between their current skills and those needed in the marketplace. Equally important, this gap severely limits their ability to obtain family-supporting jobs.  

If our economy, communities and families are to prosper, we need to close that gap. And the most crucial step along that path is a recognition on everyone's part - policy makers, educators, workforce service providers, employers...and just regular folks like the concerned commenter I quoted earlier - of the importance of investing to close it.

Emanuel calls for globally competitive workforce 

The transition report serving as a roadmap for Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his administration stresses the importance of developing a globally competitive workforce.

The report highlighting 55 recommendationsfor the new administration was released in May by the eight transition teams convened by Emanuel.

Two initiatives in particular involve the public workforce development system. Initiative #43 (p. 59) relates to preparing residents "for jobs that businesses need to fill" by leveraging public workforce funding to address skill gaps. CWIC "will be charged with defining the roles of the entities involved [in workforce programs] to develop an approach that integrates workforce development and job growth efforts." Initiative #44 (p. 60) discusses a sector-focused approach to economic development in partnership with workforce development.

City of Chicago/Cook County set on collaboration to improve service quality, efficiency 

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's Joint Committee on City-County Collaboration released a report highlighting areas where the City of Chicago and Cook County could collaborate to save money and improve the quality of services.

The 19 business cases in the report span such areas as information technology, health and human services, infrastructure, and public safety. The case for workforce development collaboration (p. 54-56) points out the parallels between the workforce boards in Chicago, North Suburban Cook County, and South and West Suburban Cook County, as well as CWIC and Chicago's Department of Family and Support Services.

It calls for the three workforce boards to combine into a single nonprofit entity, staffed by a "countywide version of CWIC, which would perform strategic workforce development planning for the entire region." The plan would reduce administrative costs, position the region for new funding opportunities, and promote expanded and improved services, according to the report.

CWIC receives grant from the McCormick Foundation

The McCormick Foundation awarded CWIC with a $40,000 general operating grant, representing the second year of McCormick's support for our organization.

A big thank you to all of our funders for supporting CWIC's efforts in workforce development. With the support of these organizations, CWIC's staff works to ensure that Chicago has a skilled and educated workforce to keep our businesses, economy, communities and families thriving.

• Bank of America
• The Boeing Company 
• City of Chicago
• Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
• Illinois Student Assistance Commission 
• McCormick Foundation
• Partnership for New Communities/2016 Fund for Chicago Neighborhoods
• The Searle Funds at the Chicago Community Trust 
• Surdna Foundation
• U.S. Department of Labor 
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation    

CWIC has formed a partnership with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to conduct an in-depth study of the freight cluster in the Chicago metro region. The study will produce accurate, timely and useful information for planners and workforce development practitioners; and generate recommendations for addressing significant challenges and seizing attractive opportunities. More information can be found here.

Chicago's allocation of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funding for 2011-2012 fell by approximately $5.2 million compared to last year. 

The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) described substantial funding cuts during a presentation during the Chicago Workforce Investment Board's quarterly meeting on June 14.  Adult programs suffered a 20 percent reduction, followed by an 18 percent cut in funding for Dislocated Worker programs and 13 percent for Youth programs. DFSS presented the following WIA information:

Total funding: $24,749,666
WIA Adult: $8,181,291
WIA Dislocated Worker: $7,630,785
WIA Youth: $ 8,937,590

To replace some of the lost funding, DFSS reduced its internal and administrative charges to WIA funding, reduced the City of Chicago indirect charges to WIA and secured $1,939,474 in alternate funds to support workforce development programs. These efforts resulted in over $4,000,000 in additional funds.

Please visit www.cwic.org for more detail of the WIA funding allocations for Chicago. Workforce Investment Board members and the DFSS staff commended Chicago service providers for their continued dedication and high quality of service in this environment of decreasing WIA federal funds.  

The Daley Workforce Center along with the Beloved Organization working in collaboration with the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, DESI Job Corps, IDES, and Daley College sponsored a Health Awareness and Resource Fair during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in June. The event included on-site health screenings in various areas such as diabetes and blood pressure testing.

Workshops were offered for smoking cessation, stress management, planned parenthood and breast cancer awareness. Participants could also apply for Medicaid, Link card or cash assistance. The Illinois Secretary of State offered drivers license services as well as corrections. Customers could also register their vehicles and sign up to be an organ donor. The event was so successful that another resource fair is being organized for the Fall. 

 

Download WIB meeting materials

Materials from the June 14, 2011, Quarterly Meeting of the Chicago Workforce Investment Board are available for download.