A New Career Readiness Resource

By Valerie Charles, Director of Capacity Building

As workforce development practitioners and educators, our primary responsibility is to build and strengthen our communities. One of the ways we do this is through providing Career Readiness training. Career Readiness can help job seekers continually build on their existing skills and attributes, thus helping them navigate the workforce arena.

Who Benefits from Career Readiness

Career Readiness trainings have the potential to benefit a wide range of stakeholders:

• Job seekers can enhance their job prospects by acquiring new skills and credentials. They can also enhance their resume, interview skills, and overall readiness for job opportunities.

• Employers can benefit from a skilled and prepared workforce, resulting in improved productivity. They can also find it easier to recruit and retain qualified candidates.

• Workforce development organizations can help reduce unemployment rates and stimulate economic growth.

These trainings aim to bridge the gap between education and employment, enhance skills, and prepare individuals for successful careers.

While some look at Career Readiness as a way of acquiring hard skills to prepare for a specific industry or job, Chicago Jobs Council has developed a Career Readiness Curriculum (CRC), because it recognizes the importance of taking a more asset-based approach. The CRC reflects CJC’s commitment to re-imagining our workforce system, so all people can thrive through employment. With extensive research and interviews with on-the-ground practitioners and other experts, CJC has developed a unique curriculum that will assist educators and workforce development practitioners on how to best support job seekers in preparing for the workforce. This curriculum not only addresses career readiness best practices, but it provides a unique approach by incorporating behavioral science-informed interventions and a racial equity lens. This strategy for career readiness aims to create a culture shift in workforce organizations that transforms how job seekers are served.

Chicago Jobs Council firmly believes in the positive impact that the Career Readiness Curriculum can have, which is why we are providing it as a free resource for workforce development organizations to review and implement.

We recognize that not all organizations are the same; each has its own unique approach. The Career Readiness Curriculum as a whole, is not a one-size-fits-all. You can take parts of the curriculum and tailor it to your own organizational needs. CJC also understands that with a curriculum this comprehensive, you may benefit from some guidance in implementation. Our Capacity Building Team is available to provide the support you need to be able to conduct career readiness training with ease.

Join the Chicago Jobs Council in creating a culture shift in how job seekers are served.