Second Annual Chicagoland Workforce Development Symposium
Chicago Jobs Council was pleased to be a partner of the Second Annual Chicagoland Workforce Development Symposium hosted by Malcolm X College on October 12th, 2023. The theme of the event was Moving Equity from Concept to Reality. It was a day of engaging dialogues, stimulating panel discussions, and thought-provoking content for the workforce development ecosystem made up of practitioners, philanthropy, employers, government agencies, community-based organizations, and a host of others.
Chicago Jobs Council CEO Dr. Lisa Bly-Jones, Clair Minson (Sandra Grace LLC), and Matt Bruce (Chicagoland Workforce Funders Alliance) at the 2nd Annual Chicagoland Workforce Development Symposium.
As the workforce development sector continues to settle into thinking about an equitable economic recovery for all workers, we want to make sure that those who have historically been out on the margins are now kept at the center of labor market conversations. With unprecedented federal investments being made for workforce development and workers, it is the ideal time to move equity from concepts to reality.
Topics of panels and discussions spotlighted employers thinking about untapped talent pools and building relationships with workforce development organizations to transform inclusive hiring practices. Untapped talent pools consist of individuals who are involved with the justice system, individuals who are differently able, and youth who are disconnected from education and employment.
Clair Minson was the keynote speaker and talked about going from doing to being, with an emphasis on embodying “the work” of equity. As usual, Clair delivered an inspiring message for careful consideration. With the launching of CJC’s anti-racist framework and implementation guide, I was reminded that we are also in a phase of being. The “doing" was completing the framework, getting it launched, sharing it broadly and the “being”, is us at CJC actually living out the values of the framework. In other words, “the work” continues.
Members of CJC staff were active participants on panels, as moderators and in planning of the day. Lisa Bly-Jones was a panelist for the Breakout Session entitled Implementing Equitable Solutions Within the Workforce Ecosystem at the State and Local Levels to discuss the IWIB Equity Taskforce, the Governor’s Workforce Equity and Access Commission and the Service Integration Work Group reports.
Angela Morrison moderated a panel to share an innovative pilot that connected unhoused jobseekers with employment and training. For almost 2 years, All Chicago, the Employment and Income Task Force, and a group of housing and workforce development service providers worked to build a bridge between the workforce and homeless response systems. Through their work, they developed an infrastructure of robust and individualized navigation services to connect individuals in the Expedited Housing Initiative, a housing model within the Continuum of Care, with all aspects of the workforce system.
Another highlight during the symposium was the release of CJC’s Career Readiness Curriculum. Kate Gannon was a panelist for the Holistic Approaches to Coaching session and highlighted the significance of building relationships with jobseekers to make meaningful connections. The human-centered curriculum starts with focusing on the identity and skills of the individual before diving into transactional activities. We invite you to download the Career Readiness Curriculum on our website and explore the open source materials that can be utilized as a resource for the field.
The day was full of stimulating and thought provoking conversations with colleagues and peers that ended with a motivational appeal to make our concepts into reality.