For Immediate Release

The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership Celebrates Workforce Development Month

Public Workforce Network Provides Training, Career Opportunities, and Employer Support Throughout the Region

Please see attached success stories which have media availability

CHICAGO – The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership) is joining workforce organizations across the country in recognizing September as Workforce Development Month, an annual celebration of the programs and services that help people gain new skills, build meaningful careers, and connect with employment opportunities while helping employers find the skilled talent they need to grow and strengthen the regional economy.
Over the past program year, The Partnership:

  • Served nearly 10,000 career seekers through Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding and nearly 2,000 additional participants through programs focused on careers in clean energy and construction.
  • Worked with hundreds of employers across the region to connect them with skilled talent and support their workforce needs.
  • Invested more than $20.2 million in training and provided over 3,000 Individual Training Accounts (ITAs), helping career seekers earn credentials and prepare for in-demand careers.

“Workforce development is economic development,” said George Wright, CEO of The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership. “Ensuring a strong return on the investment people make in themselves, and on the investment taxpayers make in our public workforce network, is central to our mission. From October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025, individuals who received services through The Partnership’s network earned a combined $152.7 million in wages. Those earnings help create opportunities for workers and their families while strengthening our regional economy.” For more information about The Partnership and its workforce network, visit Chicookworks.org, LevelUpAJC.org, or call 800-720-2515.

About The Partnership

The Partnership is the non-profit umbrella organization that oversees one of the largest public workforce systems in the country. As the designated administrator of federal workforce development funding for the City of Chicago and Cook County, The Partnership manages a network of approximately 70 community-based organizations, including American Job Centers and Career Centers, serving youth and adults. We also oversee a diverse portfolio of workforce initiatives representing corporate and philanthropic funds leveraging non-federal workforce development funding. For more information, visit https://chicookworks.org/.