Chicago Jobs Council

Deep gratitude to our recent grantors for their investment in our current operations and future innovations for the workforce development field.

The reviews just keep on coming. Last week our team received an email from a CRC user shouting its praise!

We are so grateful for the feedback. This is a tool that many people put a lot of work and time into to help enhance the workforce development field and improve outcomes for the job seeker. To learn more about this comprehensive curriculum and download it for yourself visit: https://www.cjc.net/resources-library

CJC’s Training Calendar is Live, and registration is open. Sign up for one of CJC’s public trainings today. Save your spot before they are waitlisted.

We will be exploring topics like:

👍Building motivation with job seekers
👍Burnout and Compassion Fatigue
👍Importance of Trauma-informed care

Trainings begin in September with Introduction to Workforce Development Systems. We want to see you there.

Learn more and register today: https://www.cjc.net/upcoming-public-trainings

Join Chicago Jobs Council as an Independent Contractor Facilitator!
Passionate about workforce development? We’re looking for trainers to join our FY2025 facilitator pool!
🔹 Role: Independent Contractor Facilitator
🔹 Focus Areas: Workforce Development, Leadership, Mental Health, Racial Equity, SNAP/TANF, Trauma & Resilience
🔹 Experience: 5+ years preferred, virtual/in-person facilitation
Help us create systemic change and employment equity! Apply now: https://cjc.bamboohr.com/careers/59

Amazing!

Save the Date!

Join us for our Fall Fundraiser on October 1, 2024, at Midwest Coast Brewing’s rooftop! Enjoy a magical night under the stars with craft beers, delicious snacks, and fun. Your attendance helps support CJC’s advocacy and training work throughout the year.
Stay tuned for more details and ticket info.🌟

Are you passionate about creating an equitable workforce system? We're looking for a dynamic Policy Fellow to support our mission-driven advocacy work! 💼✨

🔹 Role: Policy Fellow
🔹 Responsibilities: Support policy advocacy, create advocacy materials, provide administrative support, track legislation, and more!
🔹 Location: Chicago, IL
🔹 Benefits: Work with a dedicated team, impactful projects, and opportunities for growth!

Why join us? Be at the forefront of re-imagining a workforce system where everyone can thrive through employment!

🔗 Apply Now: https://cjc.bamboohr.com/careers/58

The CJC team took a field trip to visit to Chicago Urban Labs Inclusive Economy Lab: Chicago Resilient Communities Pilot. It was a great experience!

The purpose of the installation, located currently in the Harold Washington Library Ida B. Wells Corridor, is to combine the scientific results of the pilot and art. The installation gives you an inside look at the participants' experiences and how they truly benefited from having guaranteed income.

It sparked a great conversation for our staff around our work and the tables we sit at. We can't wait to continue a similar discussion next week at our Workforce Convos, where a member of UChicago Urban Labs Inclusive Economy Lab will be sitting on the panel. Visit https://www.cjc.net/cjc-events/workforce-convos to learn more.

🚀Attention all Chicago Jobs Council Members: You are invited to join us for an insightful event, "Building an Equitable Chicago: Policy Solutions to Bridge the Racial Wealth Divide." Discover the key findings from the "Color of Wealth in Chicago" report, which highlights significant disparities in net wealth among Black, Latino, and white households. 🌟

We'll discuss innovative policy ideas focusing on three critical areas: Policy and Economic Structures, Workforce and skills, and Community Engagement.

Attendees will walk away with:
👍Actionable Policy Ideas: Strategies for implementing equitable economic, housing, and workforce policies.
👍Increased Awareness: A deeper understanding of the racial wealth gap and its impact on Chicago's economy.
👍Tools for Advocacy: Resources and knowledge to advocate for policies that foster wealth-building and economic equity.

📅 Join us on August 7th to learn how you can help shape policies that bridge the racial wealth divide and build a more equitable Chicago. Check your email to learn how you can register today!

If you are not a member but would like to learn more about our membership and join us for a future workforce conversation, visit https://www.cjc.net/membership to learn more today.

✨ Recently, we heard from CRC users about the incredible impact the curriculum has had on their work. We're thrilled to see the CRC reaching far and wide, with organizations from California to Maryland downloading and benefiting from it! 🌍📚

Read the full blog here: https://www.cjc.net/cjc-blog/crc-goes-beyond-illinois-borders LINK IN BIO

Check out this feature from one of our partner organizations.

Dr. Lisa Bly-Jones of the Chicago Jobs Council: The Impact of Strategic Leadership on Workforce Growth Lisa M. Bly-Jones, Ed.D.CEOThe Chicago Jobs Council As CEO of the Chicago Jobs Council, Dr. Lisa Bly-Jones brings a unique perspective forged from her own beginnings in a workforce development program. With a steadfast belief in the power of relationships, she navigates the complexities of workforce...

Amazing!

Ikioco, a participant in the Metropolitan Family Services (MFS) Workforce Innovation and Opportunity (WIOA) program, achieved her Patient Care Technician Certification at the Chicago Community Learning Center, covering certified nursing assistant, electrocardiogram, and phlebotomy.

She's now thriving as a travel nurse and pursuing her dream of becoming a Registered Nurse. Ikioco’s journey shows her ambition in healthcare, supported by the assistance of MFS Calumet and the WIOA program.

Join us on August 7th for a members Workforce Convo hosted at our offices! These events will provide a space for members of CJC to come and talk on various timely and engaging topics centered around the Workforce Development Ecosystem on the local, state, and federal levels. These conversations will help CJC shape the priorities for our advocacy agenda and inform our training needs for capacity building.

We look forward to your attendance on August 7th, 2024. Stay tuned for more information about the theme and registration details.

We are honored to announce that Angela Morrison, CJC’s Policy Engagement Manager, has been appointed to the Illinois Energy Workforce Advisory Council as the Workforce Development Policy Expert. After years of working alongside CEJA partners, this role will allow her to continue to make an impact in the clean energy sector and help implement CEJA workforce programs.

Congratulations, Angela! We can’t wait to see the work that the council will do! Stay updated with Energy Workforce Advisory Council happenings and CJC’s role by subscribing to our newsletter. Visit cjc.net to join now.

Dr. Lisa Bly-Jones toured the state-of-the-art Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics (TDL) Center. Huge thanks to Cheryl Freeman, CJC Board Member and Dean at OHC, for showcasing the incredible hands-on training programs that are paving the way for students' success. OHC is truly building pathways to quality employment!

More details on this visit to come in our next bi-weekly newsletter. Are you subscribed to our newsletter? Visit our website to join our email list today!

https://www.cjc.net/

This week, we are celebrating our Advocacy Manager, Annika, for her dedication to her role for the past two years. Annika hit the ground running on her very first day. She leads CJC's Skills Agenda Table and was a prominent voice in getting the Failure to Appear Bill passed. Annika supports Bills from our partners and is a strong leader at other policy tables and coalitions. Join us in celebrating Annika's second anniversary. She is truly a Policy Rockstar!

WIOA reauthorization is moving forward as part of Congress's 2024 legislative agenda. The Senate has released their version of WIOA reauthorization with (1) More emphasis on Industry and Sector Partnerships (2) Stronger focus on young people and (3) Greater inclusion of digital skills.

The bills from the House and Senate have left out key things crucial to seeing an equitable, resilient public workforce development system. Congress has steadily cut investments in workforce programs, Career and Technical Education, and adult education programs over the past twenty years. We urge Congress to reauthorize WIOA with the emphasis on racial equity we made in our recommendations and appropriate full funding so that our public workforce system ensures equitable workforce development opportunities so all people can thrive through employment.

There is more to come, but in the meantime, check out these recommendations from NSC here:https://nationalskillscoalition.org/wpcontent/uploads/2023/05/FinalWIOARecs.pdf

Remember to subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay updated on the progress of our federal advocacy efforts.

We had a great time hosting you all at our 43rd Annual Meeting. We can't wait to see you all again at our next event. Check out these photos from the festivities. Tag yourself and share your photos.

Infrastructure Equity Policy Project Brings State Partners Together to Produce New Workforce Opportunities - National Skills Coalition Today, National Skills Coalition (NSC) is launching the Infrastructure Equity Policy Project with partners in 11 states, aiming to train the next generation of infrastructure and clean energy workers by […]

If you attended our 43rd Annual Meeting, you know that we are celebrating the passing of House Bill 277. We have just received news that it is coming to the governor for signature today. The Governor will have 60 days to sign.

For those of you who don't know, in partnership with the Transit Table and Legislative leaders Nicolas Smith, Celina Villanueva, and Justin Slaughter, our proposed legislation, House Bill 277, successfully passed the Illinois General Assembly. This bill will end the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for failure to appear in traffic court.

CJC has been convening partners at the Transit Table to tackle transportation barriers that keep people out of work and in poverty for years, and this is just another major step in the right direction in helping to eliminate barriers based on racial bias.

In CJC’s 2017 survey of over 500 Illinois residents, we found that 52% of respondents suspended for non-driving violations lost or missed out on a job opportunity because they didn’t have a license. Suspending a driver’s license is a regressive punishment that risks a person losing their job or housing, ruins family finances, devastates job prospects, and increases criminal legal system contact when people drive (often unknowingly) while suspended.

Driver’s license suspension in Illinois is a clear example of a racist system: not only is the sanction most often applied in Black communities, but the impact of the sanction is also significantly greater in already under-resourced neighborhoods.

We will have more updates on how this will be implemented soon. Stay tuned!

Have you downloaded the Anti-Racist Framework and Implementation Guide yet?

We are reimagining the workforce system so that all people can thrive through employment. We believe an anti-racist workforce system:
Prioritizes every worker’s future financial stability, career pathway, and economic security.
Honors the humanity of all people, is inclusive, race-explicit, addresses the larger economic system, and centers those most impacted by systemic racial injustice.
Builds transformative relationships between people and systems; focusing on equitable access, providing quality jobs, and removing funding obstacles that inhibit progress.

Download this free resource today to embed equity into your organizational structure. This fall, CJC will offer technical support to help organizations implement the plan. Contact [email protected] with the subject line ‘Implementation’ to inquire more.

We had a blast at the 43rd Annual Meeting Celebration! 🎉 Thank you all so much for coming and supporting. We love our community. As we look ahead to a new fiscal year, we look forward to fostering with you. Have a great weekend!

Senate hearing focuses on improving WIOA The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing Wednesday about the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA expired in 2020. Its reauthorization has bipartisan support and is “long overdue,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), ranking member of the committee...

The 43rd Annual Meeting is tomorrow. You read that right, it is finally here! We are thrilled to be able to host many of our workforce development partners and celebrate all the work that has been done in this fiscal year. On the heels of two major accomplishments, the passing of House Bill 277 and CEO Dr. Lisa Bly-Jones testifying on Capitol Hill yesterday, there is so much to reflect on and look forward to in the years ahead. There is still time to join us if you have not registered yet, but the clock is ticking. Register today before noon, as space is limited. We hope to see you there!

We had the pleasure of hosting the National Skills Coalition in our offices today. They are here for the Illinois Skillspan delegation and we discussed Federal Funding and Illinois Workforce Development priorities and funding.

📣We are proud to announce that tomorrow, our CEO Dr. Lisa Bly Jones will be testifying before the Senate HELP full committee on the critical role of workforce development and the future of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: Supporting Efforts to Meet the Needs of Youth, Workers, and Employers
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
10:00 am (ET)

Use this link to watch the hearing live: https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/the-workforce-innovation-and-opportunity-act-supporting-efforts-to-meet-the-needs-of-youth-workers-and-employers

Time has flown! The 43rd CJC Annual Meeting is next week. We are so excited to network and celebrate with you. The morning will be filled with piano entertainment, a thrilling silent auction, and programming led by our Board President, Mollie Dowling, and CEO, Dr. Lisa Bly-Jones. This includes an Insight Session interview with Deputy Mayor Jen Johnson and CEO of The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, George Wright.

It is sure to be a great time. If you have not registered yet, it is not too late. Visit our website today to save your spot. We want to see you there.

https://www.cjc.net/43rd-annual-meeting-celebration

We are the right candidate for our exciting IDHS Training and Program Manager position. This position would work directly with IDHS service providers, helping to oversee their training and other programs. If you are interested, visit the link below to learn more and apply.

https://www.cjc.net/cjc-careers