The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership Announced as Recipient of Northwestern Medicine Support for Focus on Regional Workforce Development
Large regional healthcare partner donates $50,000 to Support Non-Profits’ Continued Creation of Innovative Workforce Development Programs
(CHICAGO)— The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership) is pleased to announce it is a recipient of a $50,000 grant from Northwestern Medicine, in support of the non-profit organization’s focus on workforce development programs throughout Cook County and the City of Chicago. The Partnership’s work with Northwestern Medicine includes assistance and support from The Partnership’s Healthcare Sector Center, operated by Equus Workforce Solutions.
“This type of alliance with a regional employer aligns completely with the mission of The Partnership, to connect career seekers with career providers,” said Partnership CEO George Wright. “Healthcare is clearly a high-growth, high-demand sector with real career ladders, allowing residents to grow in experience and income while providing a critical service to regional residents. We truly appreciate Northwestern Medicine’s financial commitment to The Partnership, and we look forward to more successful collaborations in the future.”
The Partnership and Northwestern Medicine have worked together over the past three years. The Partnership and its network of agencies has placed 51 regional residents into employment at Northwestern Medicine, including 16 residents in an On-The-Job Training (OJT) program through the Healthcare Sector Center. At Northwestern Medicine, the program supports residents in career roles such as Patient Access Specialist, Patient Care Technician, Environmental Services staff, Patient Escort and Housekeeping.
In partnership with The Partnership’s Healthcare Sector, Northwestern Medicine also “reverse referred” potential hires back to Partnership’s network, allowing qualified candidates to receive funding from the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) program. This enables the career seekers to receive the support of a career coach, vocational training, and other supportive and retention services.
“Being able to collaborate with the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership has been a rewarding experience for our workforce as it has provided us with an influx of talent into our health system at a variety of levels,” said Ann Hall, vice president, Northwestern Medicine. “We hope this grant will allow Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership to continue to offer their successful training and programming to the next generation of health care workers.”
For more information about The Partnership and its network, please visit chicookworks.org or LevelUpAJC.org.
ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP
The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership) is a non-profit umbrella organization operating the public workforce system for the City of Chicago and Cook County.
The Partnership combines federal and philanthropic resources to provide comprehensive workforce development services to employers and job seekers. As the largest public workforce development system in the nation, The Partnership has helped place more than 70,000 individuals in employment; collaborated with more than 2,000 employers; and administered more than $400 million in federal and philanthropic funds. The Partnership’s network consists of 90+ community-based organizations, American Job Centers, satellite sites and sector-driven centers, serving more than 140,000 people annually. Learn more at www.chicookworks.org.
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE
To learn more about Northwestern Medicine visit NM.org and to explore career opportunities at NM, visit the career page: Working at Northwestern Medicine