This National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) marks the 10th annual celebration of apprenticeships’ role in strengthening our workforce. As we reflect on the impact of these programs, the Chicago Jobs Council (CJC) remains focused on our mission to help individuals find their unique pathway out of poverty. Apprenticeships are critical pathways, and expanding access to them is essential. Although apprenticeships are often associated with construction and trades, they span thousands of occupations—from healthcare to tech—each offering a meaningful route to a stable, rewarding career.

Grantee recipients of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) in the Chicagoland area convened on Wednesday, October 30th at the Chicago Jobs Council, to discuss how workforce development organizations taking on the Energy Navigator Transition, CEJA Workforce Hubs, and Climate Works Pre-Apprenticeship programs can align the CEJA workforce systems streamline the clean energy recruitment to training pipeline.  

Greater West Town Project (GWTP) is dedicated to expanding educational and economic opportunities for low-income communities of color in Chicago. Focusing on the West Side neighborhoods of Humboldt Park, East and West Garfield Park, Belmont Cragin, Austin, and North Lawndale, GWTP has been serving these highly barriered communities for over 35 years.

At the Third Annual Workforce Symposium, workforce development professionals across the Chicagoland area were instrumental in exploring the theme, “Fostering Collaboration: Bridging the Gap Between Workers, Employers, and Community.” Their insights, best practices, and program successes throughout the day were pivotal in exploring how to create a more equitable workforce system. The event was hosted by the Chicago Workforce Funder Alliance, which partnered and planned with the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development, World Business Chicago, Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, Chicago Jobs Council, and The Innovation Nexus.

The Illinois Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) is poised to drive a clean energy transformation across the state, prioritizing equity and workforce development. While the implementation of CEJA may feel stalled at times, there is lots of momentum. At the Chicago Jobs Council (CJC), we are keenly focused on a unified workforce development system that’s aligned and well coordinated to support the communities that have been historically marginalized by ensuring they have access to quality jobs and training in the clean energy sector.

On October 9, 2024, the Chicago Jobs Council hosted a CJC Workforce Convo focused on Bridging Expectations: Enhancing Job Satisfaction and Retention for Young Workers. The event featured insights from workforce leaders, career coaches, and—most importantly—young adults themselves. The conversation centered on how we can better understand, support, and retain Gen Z workers, who bring a unique perspective and set of challenges to the workforce.

Our commitment to continuous learning extends not only to the community we serve, but also to us as an organization. Each year CJC’s internal team sets a learning agenda, and in FY25 our staff will be focused on advancing anti-racist practices, enhancing cross-team collaboration, and developing leadership skills to foster inclusive and equitable systems.

The first quarter of our fiscal year also brings our annual Fall Fundraiser, which we just held last Tuesday, October 1st. This year’s theme was Brews & Ballads because we added a karaoke twist to our fundraising efforts. 

Building on the work we started last year, we’ve continued to bridge the gap between funders and community-based organizations through The Funders' Project, a six-session series focused on creating more equitable funding practices. The initiative aims to make application and reporting processes fairer and more accessible, especially for underrepresented organizations.

Our Skills Agenda meetings have begun earnestly as we look forward to rounding out the year and the new legislative year’s priorities. We are engaging in conversations focused on broader workforce development priorities for the table.

The Transit Table is evolving into a broader Fines & Fees Table in an exciting transition. Building on the success of ending driver’s license suspensions for minor traffic offenses, which disproportionately impacted people's ability to work, this new focus will expand efforts to address the broader issue of fines and fees.

In a significant victory for workers and communities across Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker signed HB277 into law, marking an important step forward in the fight against unjust penalties that disproportionately harm low-income individuals and people of color. Starting January 1, 2025, Illinois will no longer suspend driver’s licenses for failure to appear in court for minor traffic violations. This overdue change will have far-reaching positive impacts on families, businesses, and entire communities.

There is also a fundamental connection between voting and workforce development funding. The future of legislation like the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Illinois’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) depends on the choices made at the ballot box. After reading this, we hope our sector will be motivated and equipped to effectively advocate for increased voter turnout, ensuring that our elected officials prioritize the needs of those who rely on essential programs.

The discussion was both dynamic and thought-provoking, focusing on critical efforts to bridge the racial wealth gap. Despite the promising programs and pilot initiatives being considered, our conversation underscored the significant work that remains, particularly in addressing the deeper systemic issues exacerbating this gap in Chicago.

In a recent Senate hearing, Dr. Lisa Bly-Jones, CEO of the Chicago Jobs Council (CJC), provided insightful testimony on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and its critical role in addressing the needs of the modern workforce. Since the hearing, she was asked to submit a response to a few questions the Senators had.

Cheryl Freeman, CJC Board Member and Dean at Olive-Harvey College (OHC) invited us to tour the state-of-the-art Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics (TDL) Center at Olive-Harvey College in Chicago. OHC is recognized as the Center of Excellence for TDL within the City Colleges network, serving as the primary hub for TDL expertise.

In this year’s Illinois General Assembly Spring Session, CJC advocated for policies that move us closer to an anti-racist workforce development system and employment equity. The Skills for Good Jobs expansive collaborative Agenda has encompassed several key initiatives led by partners and CJC.

Dr. Lisa Bly-Jones joined three others leaders from around the United States to testify in DC in front of the HELP full committee for the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act. Read more about where we are now, as well as an update on House Bill 277 Failure to Appear.

We are saying goodbye to two beloved board members, Annita Jenke and Sheryl Homan, whom we honored at our annual meeting.

This event gathered experts to discuss aligning policies to effectively address and dismantle systemic racism in the workforce development space.