Introducing Chicago TechWorks: Filling the Gap Between Unemployed IT Workers and Available Jobs

Beginning in January of 2013, the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership made history by establishing a new Sector Center for Information Technology: Chicago TechWorks. This IT Sector Center is the first of its kind in the state and was formed as part of the collaboration between the City of Chicago and Cook County. MicroTrain, a leader in IT certification training and job placement, has joinined forces with The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership to form Chicago TechWorks, the newest Sector Center for Cook County focused on information technology.

Using our experience and existing credibility in the IT industry, Chicago TechWorks is creating new pathways to good jobs and careers for workers new to the industry and aims to achieve systemic changes that benefit employers, workers and the community.

“We are honored to be chosen as the new IT Sector Center and intend to finally fill the gap between IT workers looking for jobs, employers seeking qualified workers, and public workforce resources for both”, said Matt Weis, Director of Workforce Development with MicroTrain Technologies.

In 2005, the City of Chicago, established two sector-based workforce centers: ManufacturingWorks (MW) and ServiceWorks (SW). After a report to the Chicago Workforce Investment Board and the Joyce Foundation in 2009 by the UIC Center for Urban Economic Development outlined how valuable these Sector Centers were, the city decided to consider proposals to start similar centers in other sectors.

MicroTrain has focused on one goal for over a decade: helping clients find their next job. Because of this focus, MicroTrain has helped thousands of people find better jobs in the most challenging employment market in generations; a task that includes providing critical career training, helping clients attain professional certifications, revising resumes, honing interview skills, and improving social media presence, while offering valuable networking opportunities and ultimately helping to secure new work through job placement services. Chicago TechWorks will leverage this expertise to offer market-driven, accessible and convenient services to both the employer and job seeker.

Chicago TechWorks operates on the premise that the employer is the primary customer. This demand-driven approach is based on two core values. First, that recruitment is only one element of an employer’s workforce needs. And second, that recruitment challenges often flow from other human resource and organizational needs within the company. Prudent stewardship of public funding means helping companies understand and deal with their short-term needs while helping them improve for the longer-term.

For this reason, Chicago TechWorks (like other Sector Centers) offers services that are explicitly tailored to employers, such as workshops and consulting services, to help them better understand their own needs and potential solutions. By drawing together a range of services from public and private-sector vendors, we offer our customers more than just recruitment. We offer a full suite of value-added services, including:

• “skills gap” assessments that often result in prescriptions for incumbent worker training
• providing information and access to training that employers may require
• providing or coordinating other business services to businesses such as marketing, strategic planning, and penetration of new markets
• coordinating large-scale recruitment events on employers’ behalf
• pre-screening candidates and referring the most qualified individuals on for further consideration by employers
• organizing “VIP hiring events” with targeted groups of employers and jobseekers

In our first 5 months we have:

• served a total of 174 unduplicated registered people in LWIA7
• helped 30 people gain employment.
• given a total of 3 workshops to WorkNet Center Staff
• attended a total of 4 job fairs
• attended a total of 7 meetings with WorkNet offices to talk about the IT Sector
• worked with 36 employers.

Thank you to the entire MicroTrain team for helping our team become so successful. We are right on track to meet our employment goal and we have already exceeded our service goals!

Right now we are looking for job postings from employers, job seekers who have IT experience, and partners who want to help employers increase their capacity to handle IT human resource challenges. Jobseekers and employers can connect with Chicago TechWorks by calling 312-628-9231 or emailing Andi Grabemeyer, IT Sector Center Manager, at agrabemeyer@chicagotechworks.com.