| Upcoming Events |
November 13, 2009
CMRC North Suburban Chapter Conference: Green Collar Jobs and Building a High-Tech Green Economy
Learn more and register
November 18, 2009
South Suburban College Conference: Manufacturing and Workforce Development
Learn more and register
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| About Us |
The Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council (CMRC) is a partnership of the region's labor, business, government, education and community leaders working together to establish the Chicago area as a global leader in high-performance, high value-added manufacturing. Why manufacturing? |
Become an Official Partner of the CMRC
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Help us make Chicago the global leader in advanced manufacturing! Add your organization to our growing list of official partners today.
Our new partnership structure allows companies, organizations, unions, individuals, agencies, and other stakeholders to publicly show their support for the Renaissance Council. The ability to demonstrate broad support for our mission and vision is critical to the success of our projects and fundraising initiatives.
You can register online or print and send in the PDF form. To learn more, please see our partnership details.
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Programs & Initiatives
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Austin Polytechnical Academy (APA)
Austin Polytechnical Academy (APA), established in 2007, is Chicago's first and only manufacturing-focused high school. Located in the West Side neighborhood of Austin, APA prepares students for career paths that can start in skilled production positions and end in management and even ownership of companies. Students are exposed to manufacturing through company tours, job shadowing, work-based projects. APA is currently fundraising for a machine shop where APA students and community residents can earn nationally-recognized credentials and gain a significant advantage in the advanced manufacturing job market.
For more information, visit austinpolytech.com.
Chicago Green Manufacturing Network
In partnership with the Cleveland-based Great Lakes Wind Network, he Renaissance Council has established the Chicago Green Manufacturing Network, a new initiative to establish Chicago as a base for the global supply chain for wind turbine manufacturing. The program aims to connect wind energy OEMs--companies from around the world that design and assemble turbines--to local manufacturing companies that can produce highly specialized, technologically complex turbine parts that are in short supply. For more information,
see our project summary.
ManufacturingWorks
ManufacturingWorks, also known as the Chicago Workforce Center for Manufacturing, is a demand-driven program that specializes in meeting the workforce needs of high-performance manufacturers. ManufacturingWorks also provides "lean" training to help manufacturers cut costs and increase performance. To date, ManufacturingWorks has relationships with more than 270 companies; has made more than 1,000 job placements; has provided 68 companies with "lean" training; and has trained more than 1,000 workers.
For more information, visit chicagomfgworks.com.
Center for Polytechnical Education (CPE)
The Center of Polytechnical Education (CPE) is a new 501c3 not-for-profit school operator. CPE's mission is to strengthen communities through educational programs that prepare students to be leaders in the 21st century knowledge economy. CPE now operates two schools: Austin Polytechnical Academy (APA) and the Chicago Academy for Advanced Technology (CAAT). Developed by nationally recognized educators and researchers, CPE's polytechnical model of education uses scientifically-based, field-tested curricula and instructional strategies that accelerate learning and develop students' expert thinking and reasoning skills. A key aspect of CPE schools is their focus on collaborative partnerships with businesses and other organizations. CPE's website is coming soon. | |
Message from the Executive Director | Politics and the CMRC
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by Dan Swinney
From the very beginning, the signature strength of the CMRC is our ability to unite "unlikely" partners under one big tent. These partnerships were formed in 2005 and have persisted and expanded since then--no small feat.
In fact, this particular partnership is what we call our competitive advantage. We bring together business, labor, government, community, and educators. This coalition gives us confidence that we can achieve the big changes and reforms that will allow us to fulfill our objective of becoming the global leader in manufacturing complex products.
On a regular basis, we receive inquiries and attract interest from political leaders from the right, the center, and the left; and from Democrats, Republicans, and independents of all stripes.
Last December, I described our history and approach to the partnership between business and labor in the CMRC. In this column, I want to discuss how we manage the breadth of political opinion and commitment that we attract--particularly as we enter the political season once again.
Continue reading
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CMRC Conference | Green Collar Jobs and Building a High-Tech Green Economy
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Join us for the CMRC North Suburban Chapter's debut conference, Green Collar Jobs and Building a High-Tech Green Economy.
Keynote speakers will include U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky and City of Chicago Alderman Manuel Flores.
Friday, November 13th
8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Oakton Community College
1600 E. Golf Rd. in Des Plaines, IL
Learn more and register!
Special thanks to Illinois WorkNet Center, Oakton
Community College, the Delta Institute, and the Workforce Board of Cook
County for their support organizing and hosting this event.
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New Blog | HighRoadNetwork.org
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If you're reading the CMRC newsletter, chances are you've heard about related organizations like Austin Polytechnical Academy and the Center for Labor & Community Research.
Our individual initiatives work together to accomplish a common goal: building a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable society based on high-tech manufacturing.
The High Road Network blog is a place for centralized discussion about the news and events that impact our mission. We encourage everyone to comment on the posts and share your views. All it takes is one click to highroadnetwork.org!
Your feedback is welcome. If you have any suggestions for improving the blog, please contact Ingrid Gonçalves at igoncalves@clcr.org.
Latest Post - The Manufacturing Institute: "U.S. Manufacturing at a crossroads"
A new report by the Manufacturing Institute illuminates a critical reality in the future of U.S. manufacturing: while domestic manufacturing continues to be a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, it faces significant challenges that threaten its health as the current economic climate intensifies external costs and competition from abroad...
Read more, view the report, and join the discussion
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| Boost your Business with a Grant from the City of Chicago's TIFWorks |
It can be tough to
find room in your company's budget for employee training, especially in a harsh
economic climate. But that doesn't mean you should put your future on hold.
 Thanks to the City of Chicago Department of
Community Development's (DCD) TIFWorks program, your business could qualify for
a grant to help meet these critical needs.
TIFWorks funds training programs for about 180 small to medium-sized
companies in Chicago.
Forty-six percent of the grants are awarded to manufacturers, who have used the
resources for everything from ergonomic safety training to International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications.
But don't think of it as a bailout. "TIFWorks
is a training tool, but most importantly, it's a business retention
model," says Will Edwards, Assistant Commissioner of the Workforce Solutions Unit at DCD. "The
city is committed to helping businesses, large and small, stay in the city,
hire more residents, continue to add the tax roles and remain competitive."
Continue reading
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Education Update | News from CPE's Career Academies
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Austin Polytech students return from Spain
 After many months of planning, the APA Spain Trip has enriched the lives of a hardworking group of travelers. The delegation included eight students, two teachers, two CPE staff members, and a representative of ManufacturingWorks.
Read the Austin Weekly News article about the trip!
Along with learning about the Spanish language and culture in Madrid, the APA delegation also traveled to the Basque Region to visit the Mondragon Cooperative Corporation, a network of 120 businesses, many of which are manufacturing companies that are on the cutting edge of technology and the world economy.
CAAT recognized at Mayor Daley's Tech Summit
 At Mayor Daley's Tech Summit in October, Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman urged local technology leaders to support CAAT, which opened this fall with a class of 150 high school freshmen - all "future leaders in technology," according to Mr. Huberman.
"We are going to learn how you integrate technology into the curriculum. . . . We can learn from this school and then take what we learn and implement that technology in all schools," he said.
Hosted at Microsoft's Chicago headquarters, the Tech Summit united almost 100 leaders and entrepreneurs from the local technology industry. The event also featured two other City of Chicago initiatives.
Austin Polytech completes Manufacturing Technology Center
 Last month, CLCR hosted an event for its board of directors in Austin Polytech's new world-class machine shop, the Manufacturing Technology Center. Students have not yet used the brand-new shop, but the MTC will be used to help APA students and Austin residents earn industry-recognized NIMS certificates, which will give them an edge in the job market.
View more photos from the event
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New Resources for CMRC Partners
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 Now
there's one more reason to register as a CMRC partner! The CMRC will
soon be offering new resources for partners - spaces for announcements,
job openings, and events in our website and newsletter.
This is a great opportunity to reach thousands of readers in Chicago
and around the world who share your interests. More details will be
announced soon.
If you are a registered CMRC partner and would like to place a listing, please contact Ingrid Gonçalves at igoncalves@clcr.org.
If you're not an official CMRC partner, you can register online or download the printable PDF form. To learn more, please see our partnership details.
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