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.

Recent feedback from CRC users praises the robust nature of the curriculum and highlights its ability to be customized.

The CWFA and CJC are committed to continuing this collaboration and are planning part two of the Funder Series for the next fiscal year.

On June 14th, we celebrated a great year and some major CJC accomplishments, such as the passing of House Bill 277 and CEO Dr. Lisa Bly-Jones testimony on Capitol Hill. The theme was reframing the narratives around workforce development and learning to think through a different lens regarding how we provide services, starting with more intentional collaboration.

On March 20th, the Chicago Jobs Council (CJC) hosted the second conversation as part of its Community of Practice series. This iteration, titled ‘Centering Lived Experience in Equity Policy Development,' focused on including and amplifying formerly incarcerated people's experiences in policymaking. The conversation brought together people from different workforce development organizations committed to reshaping their approach to workforce equity to better the workforce ecosystem.

The Chicago Jobs Council envisions a new workforce system centered on equity for all workers and job seekers. One of our policy planks is Eliminating Barriers to Employment, and a significant barrier to employment is stable and affordable housing. Bring Chicago Home, a referendum on March 19th’s primary ballot, allows Chicagoans to advocate for housing security and resources to connect people to employment, training, and other supportive wraparound services.