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Job postings increase; advertise Computers, Management, Sales, Administrative occupations
CWIC's second-quarter 2011 "Where are the jobs?" reports show that the total number of active online job postings has increased since the first quarter. Job postings during the second quarter of 2011 increased by 9% in the city and 5% in the region compared to the first quarter.
Four occupational categories - computer and mathematical occupations, management, sales, and office and administrative support - make up more than half of all the active job postings during this period.
To develop these reports, CWIC uses the Help Wanted Online tool to analyze hundreds of thousands of recent postings pulled from internet job boards.
The data is helping CWIC to develop an understanding of current job demand and employer needs in Chicago and in the region.
View the Q2 2011 Chicago report .
View the Q2 2011 Chicago Metro Region report.
Growing number of unemployed are exhausting their Extended Unemployment Insurance benefits
The CWICstats Q2 dashboard of economic indicators features a special in-depth section on unemployment insurance. The report reveals that so far in 2011, the number of Illinois unemployed workers who have exhausted their 20 weeks of state extended UI benefits without finding a job is close to the full-year totals for 2009 and 2010.
Extended UI benefits kick in after an individual exhausts 26 weeks of regular UI benefits and up to 53 weeks of emergency benefits.
This dashboard also shows that the Chicago unemployment rate rose to 10.8% in May, after three months under 10%.
Department of Labor promotes stronger partnerships
Almost 200 people, including practitioners and employers, learned more about the workforce system at the Chicago Metro Town Hall Forum hosted in July by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA).
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Pictured from left to right are Maria Hibbs, Interim CEO, CWIC; Robert Wordlaw, Executive Director, Chicago Jobs Council; Ken Bennett, special assistant to the Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor; Karin Norrington-Reaves, Director, Cook County Works; Brian Zuidema, Regional Administrator, ETA; Mike Balcsik, Director of Agency Liaison Unit, Chicago Department of Family & Support Services.
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Ken Bennett, a special assistant to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, coordinated the event.
"What brings federal, state, county and local workforce development specialists together is the commitment to building stronger communities," said Byron Zuidema, ETA regional administrator. "The partnerships we create and information we share are truly important to our common goals."
Highlights included information on the workforce development system, including local One-Stop Career Center contacts, a panel discussion with representatives from workforce development officials including Maria Hibbs, Interim CEO of the Chicago Workforce Investment Council, and presentations on best practices from two federal grantees.
Mongolian delegation learns from Chicago's success
Half a world away, officials are looking to Chicago as a model for delivering quality workforce services.
Davaa Nyamkhuu, Vice Minister for Social Welfare and Labor; Lkhaasuren Munkh-Orgil, Senior Officer, Law and Foreign Cooperation Division; and Gorchinsuren Adiya, Advisor to the Minister, visited the Pilsen Workforce Center and the Greater West Town Community Development Center in early July.
CWIC had the unique opportunity to work with the U.S. Department of Labor and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to host this delegation from Mongolia.
At both workforce locations, the delegation met with staff and had extensive discussions about the types of training and education programs offered to Chicago residents at these organizations.
The Mongolian visitors are working on a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Labor to continue these learning opportunities.
GAO cites ManufacturingWorks as national model
 A team from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) visited Chicago recently to learn about the development and success of Chicago's sector-based workforce center, ManufacturingWorks. The GAO selected ManufacturingWorks, a collaborative between Instituto del Progresso Latino and the City of Chicago, as one of thirteen national promising practices in the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) system. The U.S. Senate charged the GAO with reviewing and reporting by November 2011 on the most innovative and promising programs using WIA funds. The GAO team met with a panel including: - Paul O'Connor, Chair, Workforce Investment Board
- Maria Hibbs, Interim CEO of CWIC
- Anne Ladky, Executive Director, Women Employed; Workforce Investment Board and CWIC Board member
- Dan Swinney, Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council
- Tom Dubois and Tony Garritano, Instituto del Progreso Latino
Dubois and Garritano discussed the evolution, performance and success of ManufacturingWorks. The GAO team also visited the ManufacturingWorks Center as well as Wright College and Solo Cup, one of ManufacturingWorks' customers. NIMS certifies Austin Polytechnical Academy  The Austin Polytechnical Academy (APA) announced that the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) has accredited the school's machining program and on-campus WaterSaver Faucet Co. Manufacturing Technology Center (MTC). The high school partners with local manufacturers to prepare West Side students for leadership in advanced manufacturing industries. NIMS credentials are respected by employers as evidence of potential employees' manufacturing qualifications. As part of the certification process, students must complete theoretical and practical examinations, including building a part to exact specifications.  "Exceptional employer advisory committees are in place and are very active in supporting the mission of [APA's] program," the NIMS evaluation team reported. "Both advisory committees are committed and vested in the program's success and employer companies are eager to hire credentialed entry-level people."
TCW profiles CWIC and WIB board members CWIC was proud to see several CWIC and WIB board members profiled in Today's Chicago Woman magazine as part of "100 Women Making a Difference in 2011." Among those honored are: CWIC Treasurer and Workforce Investment Board member, Anne Ladky, Executive Director, Women Employed; CWIC board member Cheryle Jackson, Vice President of Government Affairs & Corporate Development, AAR Corporation; Workforce Investment Board member Sheila O'Grady, President, Illinois Restaurant Association; Workforce Investment Board member Dori Wilson, Founder, Dori Wilson & Associates; and former CWIC board member Gloria Castillo, President, Chicago United. WTTW's Chicago Tonight highlights Chicago Career Tech A recent episode of Chicago Tonight took a closer look at Chicago Career Tech (CCT), a pioneering job-retraining program that integrates classroom training, employer- and service-based learning with a business and nonprofit organization to provide unemployed middle-income workers with the skills necessary for high-demand technology-based careers. CWIC congratulates Chicago Career Tech on the success of this important workforce development program as CCT enrolls its third cohort of participants. 
Chicago Career Tech is accepting applications now through 5 p.m. CST on Friday, September 2, 2011 for its next class (October 2011 - May 2012).
Practicing what we preach: CPS intern gains valuable experience at CWIC  CWIC was thrilled to offer Chicago Public School Career and Technical Education (CTE) student James Cruz a six-week internship this summer. Cruz, who plans to study accounting after he graduates from Carol Schurz High School, worked with CWIC's CFO, Sabrina Woods. Cruz said, "I learned so much about working in an office environment. It was kind of a growing-up process, actually, due to the fact this was my first job/internship ever. I learned the true value of the dollar, but more importantly, I matured more, and grew up taking on big tasks without a lot of supervision, unlike in school, learning new skills, dressing professionally every day and, most importantly, learning the true value of hard work. So I would like to thank CWIC for giving me an amazing opportunity, great memories and a summer to remember." Thank you to our funders 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
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