More than $550,000 raised in advance of event; funds will help return unemployed and underemployed Chicagoland residents to work
CHICAGO—October 14, 2016—Skills for Chicagoland’s Future (Skills)—a public-private partnership that meets the hiring needs of employers by offering innovative solutions to place qualified, unemployed and underemployed candidates into available positions—today hosted its second annual Employment Champions Breakfast, where it celebrated the placement of more than 3,100 Chicagoland job seekers and announced new data quantifying Skills’ long-term economic impact on those job seekers. More than $550,000 was raised prior to the event, with even more commitments secured on-site to support Skills’ mission.
Nearly 400 Chicago business, community and workforce development leaders joined Mayor Rahm Emanuel and keynote speaker Greg Brown, Skills board chair and CEO of Motorola Solutions, to celebrate the success of employers and community partners who support Skills’ mission of returning the unemployed and underemployed to work. Award honorees recognized at the breakfast included U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, CDW and the Chicago Department of Aviation.
Skills is currently in the process of implementing a three-year strategic growth plan aimed to get 5,000 unemployed and underemployed job seekers back to work, innovate new demand-driven placement offerings for employers, sustain and diversify funding and to serve as a labor market thought leader on demand-driven solutions leading to systemic change. Chicago is serving as a national model for demand-driven work. Its first replication site, Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, will hold their official ribbon cutting on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 in Rhode Island.
“I applaud Skills for Chicagoland’s Future for providing economic opportunity that has changed thousands of lives for people and families across the city,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Every Chicago business that partners with Skills demonstrates its commitment to our community. The City of Chicago has stood behind Skills since day one, and we are proud to see its impact deepen as they help more of our residents gain meaningful employment every year.”
At the event, Skills announced the results of an independent study that evaluated economic outcomes for former job seekers whom Skills had placed into employment. Study participants were surveyed between nine and 24 months after their interaction with Skills. The results showed a discernable positive change in participants’ economic status. Significant findings include:
- Annual income increased by an average of $6,500;
- Access to health benefits increased from 34 percent to 62 percent;
- Access to paid time off increased from 20 percent to 54 percent; and
- Dependency on governmental assistance programs decreased significantly.
The study was conducted by workforce development consultancy New Growth Group and funded by a grant from the Joyce Foundation.
“Today, we honor and celebrate our more than 50 Chicago-area employer partners, our generous donors and sponsors, and the many community partners who have helped Skills for Chicagoland’s Future place more than 3,100 unemployed and underemployed job seekers into employment,” said Marie Trzupek Lynch, founding president and CEO of Skills for Chicagoland’s Future. “I am also pleased to release the results of this new study which clearly demonstrates the profound impact of helping job seekers overcome unemployment—an impact that reverberates through families, communities and our entire region.”
Skills’ impact in the Chicagoland area has been greatest in communities that are most in need, particularly on Chicago’s South and West sides. In 2015, approximately 58 percent of placed candidates were considered long-term unemployed, with an average unemployment duration of 18 months. More than 40 percent of placed candidates were from Chicago communities with unemployment rates over 20 percent, including Auburn-Gresham, Austin, Chatham, Humboldt Park, Roseland and Avalon Park.
“I am proud to serve as Skills board chair at such an exciting time for this trailblazing organization,” said Brown, who assumed his role as Skills’ board chair in April 2015. “We have a unique, innovative model. We know that it works, and that we are serving those most in need. And now we are putting Chicago on the map as a national leader for solutions to unemployment and underemployment.”
The Penny Pritzker Visionary Award was presented to U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez. Perez was recognized for his advocacy of Skills’ model, which, along with the Department of Labor, helped lead the way for expansion into Rhode Island.
The Champion for the Unemployed Award was presented to CDW in recognition of the company’s commitment to supporting Skills’ mission by serving on its Board of Directors, hiring the unemployed and underemployed, gifting in-kind donations of technology and training, and providing financial contributions.
The Advocate for the Unemployed Award was presented to the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA). Since 2013, CDA has provided significant multi-year funding, and has made more than 30 introductions to businesses, many of which have become Skills’ most active employer partners. These partnerships have resulted in more than 900 commitments to hire and more than 600 placements of unemployed and underemployed Chicago job seekers at O’Hare International Airport.
Co-chairs of the 2016 Employment Champions Breakfast included: Amy E. Best, Exelon; Hillary Bochniak, Accenture; John Challenger, Challenger, Gray & Christmas; Rich Floersch, HR Policy Association; and Joseph High, Grainger. CDW served as the Premier Sponsor. The breakfast was presented by The Canning Foundation, Exelon, Michael W. Ferro, Jr., GCM Grosvenor, Motorola Solutions, Northern Trust, Sanmina and United Airlines. Additional sponsors included Aon, Grainger, TrueBlue, Walgreens Boots Alliance, AbbVie, Accenture, The Boeing Foundation, Greg & Anna Brown, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Janet & Craig Duchssois, JPMorgan Chase, Rush University Medical Center, Ulta and USG.
Proceeds from the Employment Champions Breakfast will support Skills’ strategic plan initiatives aligned with returning unemployed and underemployed job seekers to work by creating demand-driven solutions for employers in Chicagoland.
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About Skills for Chicagoland’s Future
Skills for Chicagoland’s Future (Skills) is a nonprofit, public-private partnership committed to returning unemployed and underemployed job seekers to work by creating demand-driven solutions for employers committed to hiring this population. Skills meets the hiring needs of employers by connecting them with qualified job seekers and providing innovative, customized hiring solutions. Skills is governed by a board of directors comprised of 23 chief executive, finance and human resources officers from the Chicago area. The organization is funded by the City of Chicago and The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, as well as a wide range of foundations and corporations. For more information, visit http://www.skillsforchicagolandsfuture.com.
