Celebrating the 20th Annual Workforce Development Month Throughout September

Celebrating the 20th Annual Workforce Development Month throughout September: Lifting Up Impact Over Outcomes and Preparing for the Future

(CHICAGO)—The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership) today kicked off its celebration of the 20th annual Workforce Development month throughout September. Workforce Development Month was created in 2005 by The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) to raise awareness about the importance of workforce development to a growing national economy.

The Partnership will celebrate the month, beginning with Labor Day, with special editions of its Hire Frequency podcast, special posts on its social media platforms, in its e-newsletter In the Works and more.

The first special edition of Hire Frequency will be streamed live on its Facebook platform on ‘Workforce Wednesday’, September 3 at 1 pm CST, which will then be available on Apple Podcasts, Facebook and Spotify. Hire Frequency host, and Partnership CEO George Wright, will welcome guests, Julio Rodriguez, Deputy Director of the Office of Employment and Training, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; and Brad Turner-Little, president and CEO of the National Association of Workforce Boards, to the podcast. The following episodes will be released on ‘Workforce Wednesdays’ throughout the month and will be promoted on The Partnership’s social media platforms. Since Hire Frequency launched, The Partnership has recorded 32 episodes, which have received more than 3,700 downloads.

“This year’s Workforce Development Month is particularly important,” said The Partnership CEO George Wright. “Funding for public workforce systems, like so many publicly funded entities, is on the precipice of change—which we should prepare for, not fear.”

“Many people recognize the value of workforce development but may not see the value in public workforce systems as a whole. The discussion on the first special edition podcast will offer a laser focus on what our system does well, and equal focus on where we can improve in this all-important talent acquisition space,” said Wright.

The Partnership oversees a network of approximately 70 community-based organizations that serve career seekers and employers in Chicago and suburban Cook County. Though it consistently exceeds performance metrics, the organization also tracks the impact of its work.

Outcomes of WIOA funding in Program Year 2024:

The Partnership invested WIOA funding in support of comprehensive workforce development services for more than 10,000 adults, including those who had lost their jobs (dislocated workers), and youth ages 16-24.

Impact of the Program Year 2023:

Nearly 80% of those who worked with The Partnership’s WIOA-funded network in Program Year 2023 landed a job or began a career, with total estimated annual earnings of approximately $167.5 million returning to the region’s economy and individual households.

“Our network serves those with some of the most challenging barriers to employment, such as out-of-school youth and residents returning from incarceration,” added Wright. “Looking at just those two groups of customers who participated in programs funded by Cook County last year, youth earned an estimated $1.8 million and returning residents earned an estimated $4 million—dollars that returned to the regional economy and into individual households,” added Wright.

In addition, The Partnership’s network placed customers who had lost their jobs into high-wage positions, such as a software engineer now earning $93 an hour and an IT Lead now earning around $106 an hour.

We recognize the importance of job readiness initiatives, such as apprenticeships. ConstructionWorks, a program funded by the Illinois Tollway through our network, has propelled hundreds of residents toward careers in heavy highway and related construction, with nearly 150 securing union apprenticeships.

Currently, our network is training 400 men and women a year to work in ‘clean energy’ jobs of the future and is working with dozens of employers to open career pathways for residents in sectors from healthcare to building management via apprenticeships.

Training Costs Provided:

Our network offers occupational training through Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) to career seekers. ITAs are tuition vouchers that cover the cost of obtaining industry-recognized credentials, certifications, or degrees from providers in The Partnership’s network. Depending on the field, ITAs can fund up to $8,000 in tuition. Over the past Program Year, The Partnership invested over $19.1 million in training and issued more than 2,800 ITAs. Of those who received an ITA and exited the program, over 77% completed training, and 86% secured employment.

For more information about The Partnership and our network, visit Chicookworks.org or LevelUpAJC.org.