A collection of CJC’s latest tools & resources
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The Career Readiness Curriculum is a free curriculum that is built upon existing job readiness curricula and field expertise. The Curriculum aims to create a culture shift in workforce organizations that transforms how job seekers are served.
Each module includes handouts, slide decks, and complete facilitator guides that detail objectives, facilitator pre-work, talking points and coaching questions. Please feel empowered to iterate on the curriculum based on the unique needs and context of your participants.
Whether you choose to implement the entire curriculum or selectively incorporate specific lessons into your existing program, this curriculum offers comprehensive instruction for both group and individual coaching sessions.
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This report provides a brief introduction to the legacy of race in Chicago public housing, the origins of the Workforce Development, Homeless Systems and Racism: Exploring the Manifestations workshop offering, the current study and findings, and future recommendations for continuing to address structure inequalities.
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This report, after summarizing what we know about the broader clean energy industry landscape in Illinois, focuses on two main industries where clean energy jobs are concentrated in Illinois: solar energy and energy efficiency building retrofits. We provide an overview of the landscape of each industry and offer examples of potential career pathways within each industry.
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This report offers recommendations for legislators, elected leaders, and program administrators for how to narrow supportive services gaps and advance policy to eliminate structural barriers that keep people out of work and in poverty.
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Are you ever unsure of your job seekers’ rights in the workplace? Are there times you think your clients are being taken advantage of or discriminated against but are not sure what to do? Knowledge about basic worker protections is a crucial component of any job-readiness program. To answer these questions, CJC presents the Workers’ Rights Curriculum developed by Alison Dickson of the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois.
University of Illinois’ Labor Education Program, in collaboration with Chicago Jobs Council and UIC’s Great Lakes Center for Occupational Health and Safety are excited to share with you findings from their survey of Chicagoland workforce providers who are actively educating their participants about their rights on the job and pursuing collaborations with high road employers.
External Resources
We’re always collecting resources from our partners to make workforce providers more effective. Here are a few.
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The Success Drivers framework of guidelines and strategies has been developed with input from practitioners who are part of the Workforce Benchmarking Network and who are “higher performers” among their peers participating in the national Benchmarking outcome survey. The framework is also informed by existing research in the workforce development field.
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How to Get a Valid Illinois Driver’s License Guide
Job seekers without a valid driver’s license may face extra hurdles in getting and keeping a job. The How to Get a Valid Illinois Driver’s License guide was prepared by Revolution Workshop to help internal program participants get their license for the first time, or have it reinstated after a suspension. You can also learn more from our Transit Table coalition about advocacy to reduce excessive driver’s license suspensions in Illinois.
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Families are their own best experts in identifying their strengths, challenges, and future goals. This Family-Centered Coaching curriculum, developed by W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is a set of strategies and tools that can help frontline staff, organizations, and systems more holistically work with families to reach these goals.
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Pathways to Careers Network (in collaboration with Women Employed)
As of 2020, 67 percent of Illinois jobs require a college degree or certificate, yet three million Illinois adults don’t have education beyond high school. To address this gap, Women Employed and the Chicago Jobs Council launched the Pathways to Careers Network, an initiative to increase college and career success for adult learners with low basic skills.
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The Reimagining Employer Engagement toolkit was published by Reimagine Retail Chicagoland in 2019 and was designed to equip frontline staff with practical tools and information for approaching employers from a strengths-based perspective.
Policy Reports Archive
See the impact we’ve made through the years.
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Lessons Learned from Manifestations of Racism in the Workforce Development System and Housing System Workshops
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Illinois Skills for Good Jobs Agenda 2022 Legislative Platform
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The Third Pillar of Apprenticeship: Integrating Diversity Across Illinois' Apprenticeship System
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Pathways, Not Punishment: A Roadmap for SNAP Employment and Training in Illinois
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The Hidden Cost of Ventra: The Impact of the Ventra Fare System on Chicago Social Service Providers
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Making the Case: City of Chicago Investment in Workforce Services
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Illinois Works For The Future: Strengthening Illinois' Economy Through Investments in Workforce Funding Education and Training
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Partnerships for Job Training and Economic Development: An Evaluation of Illinois’ JTED Program
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Building Bridges: Funding Options for the Core Components of Bridge Programs
Responses to Burning Questions from the Creating Bridges in Healthcare Technical Assistance Workshop
CJC Guide to Illinois Ex-Offender Policy Advocacy Efforts 2003-2004
Ready? Set. Grow! A Starter’s Guide for Becoming Culturally Competent
The Bridge Program: An Effective Educational Approach to Meeting Employers’ Critical Skills Shortages
Making the Pieces Fit: A Plan for Ensuring a Prosperous Illinois
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From Safety Net to Self Sufficiency: A CJC Proposal for a State Mixed Strategy approach to Prepare TANF and Food Stamp Employment and Training Participants for Illinois’ Skilled Workforce
Investing, Improving, and Measuring Workplace Skills
A Summary of Workforce Development Programs in Illinois
Illinois 2003 – Workforce and Economic Development: Investing in the Future of Illinois
Manufacturing Industry Briefing for Job Developers: Industry Overview
Testimony of the Chicago Jobs Council on Welfare Reform Reauthorization, Submitted to the United States Senate Finance Committee
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Critical Issues & Initial Answers: Recommendations for TANF Reauthorization
Recommendations for a New Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program in Illinois
Expanding Employment Opportunities for Former Offenders: An Employer Roundtable Summary
Dollars Down, Poverty Up: CJC’s September 2002 Workforce Development Issues Survey
Skills Training Works: Examining the Evidence
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Feedback from the Frontlines: Testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce
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Understanding Entry-Level Health Care Employment in Chicago
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Picture of Health: Best Practices in Training & Employing Chicago’s Entry-Level Health Care Workforce