Hire Frequency

Join host George Wright, Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, as he discusses the organization's new "Level Up Your Career" and "Power Up Your Business" campaign. Joining the conversation are Vanessa Lopez Jackson, a leader at The Lemon Ad Stand creative agency which developed the gaming-themed campaign aimed at promoting the region's ten American Job Centers. Also featured are Lisa Maentz and Clelia Ferro, leaders at AJCs in suburban Cook County, who share how the centers provide services for career seekers and employers, evolve to meet changing needs, and foster ongoing relationships with local businesses. Tune in to learn how this collaborative effort makes workforce development accessible through innovative marketing and vital community partnerships to ensure the region's public workforce system is no longer the area's “best kept secret.” Visit https://levelupajc.org/ to learn more.

Tune in for a conversation with George Wright, as he reflects on his first 90 days as CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership). George reveals his top goals for The Partnership and discusses the moments that have stood out to him in his first 90 days as CEO. He also shares his personal journey and how the timeless values he learned from his parents inform his leadership approach. 

In Cook County more than 520,000 Chicagoland residents report having a disability. The Partnership and Cook County have launched the Cook County Career Pathways Navigator program to support individuals with disabilities and connect them with organizations to help them with their career path. In this episode, we observe Disability Pride Month with a workforce professional, an employer, and an employee with a disability. Visit https://www.scalelit.org/jobseeker to learn more about Cook County Career Pathways Navigator or reach a Career Coach at an American Job Center by calling 800-720-2515

Each April, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs celebrates Second Chance Month, which aims to inform and highlight the opportunities for state, local, and tribal governments and community-based service providers to build meaningful second chances for our returning community members.  In this two-part episode, host Avik Das, Executive Director of the Cook County Justice Advisory Council, is joined by a panel of guests to discuss how Cook County is helping men and women return home after release as well as the expansion of the Road Home program, which  is designed to help formerly incarcerated people find employment and other resources. The guests in this episode are Claudia Regalado-Cattouse, The Partnership's Director of Community Innovations and Impact, Nicholas Crayton, a returned Community Member who served 24 years at the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), and Gia Davis, a Second Chance Employer. 

Each April, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs celebrates Second Chance Month, which aims to inform and highlight the opportunities for state, local, and tribal governments and community-based service providers to build meaningful second chances for our returning community members.  In this two-part episode, host Avik Das, Executive Director of the Cook County Justice Advisory Council, is joined by a panel of guests to discuss how Cook County is helping men and women return home after release as well as the expansion of the Road Home program, which  is designed to help formerly incarcerated people find employment and other resources. The guests in this episode are Claudia Regalado-Cattouse, The Partnership's Director of Community Innovations and Impact, Nicholas Crayton, a returned Community Member who served 24 years at the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), and Gia Davis, a Second Chance Employer. 

Meet Partnership staff who have found the magic sauce: they have fulfilling careers informed by their experiences and it's their job to help you find yours. Host Trina Whatley and guests Michael Cannon, Cynthia Rodriguez, and Joshua Williams discuss the programs that they lead and how they connect with the communities that they serve. Tune into this end-of-the-year episode of The Partnership's Hire Frequency podcast! 

In this special episode of Hire Frequency, Susan Massel, of The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, brings a microphone to hiring fairs in suburban Cook County. The Partnership is working with agencies in its network to host events all around the suburbs, funded by Cook County, from Elk Grove Village to Skokie to Chicago Heights and Cicero. Tune in to hear voices of individuals looking to take the next step in their careers, employers and suburban Cook County elected officials throughout June and July 2022.

The Partnership celebrated Women's History Month 2022 with guest speakers Illinois State Toll Highway Authority's Chief of Diversity and Strategic Development Terry Miller, and three tradeswomen who benefitted from the Illinois Tollway's investment in ConstructionWorks, an important program designed to link job seekers with opportunities for rewarding careers in Illinois' transportation-related construction industry, Fatima Perez, Taneen Ball, and Susana Dominquez. Symbol Training Institute's Founder and Executive Director Diana Peters also joined us along with Symbol Training Institute graduate trainee Dinora Navare. Join us as we uplift women in roles in sectors that many of us couldn't have imagined only a few years ago. Hear firsthand about the challenges faced and be inspired by these experiences discussed in candid conversation!   

Join host Natasha Vinson, The Partnership's Construction Initiatives Program Coordinator, for a discussion about diversity and inclusion in the high-growth, high-demand skilled trades sector with guest speakers: Orlando Bandoo, a skilled tradesman from Walsh Fluor Construction, Lawrence Davis, a 1st Year Apprentice Carpenter from ConstructionWorks, Jurea Crudup, owner of Crudup Construction, Juan Pablo Prieto, the Director of Diversity Programs and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Liaison Officer for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), and Shoshiwa Shields, Manager of Construction Initiatives at The Partnership.  Black Americans and people of color have traditionally been excluded from the skilled trades, a sector that includes welders, plumbers, carpenters, and more. These first-hand accounts of barriers those who work in the sector face and the effort of some regional employers to remove those challenges combine to create an honest and vital dialogue during Black History Month.  https://www.transitchicago.com/rpm/  https://chicookworks.org/initiatives/constructioninitiatives/  

The Chicago COVID Community Response Corps is a story of a unique collaboration of workforce development and public health in our region. Join Partnership COVID-19 Response Project Director Claudia Cattouse-Regalado as she sits down with Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady and Corps Members Cornelius Chandler and Cynthia Rodriguez, to talk about this unique program, in which people are working together to fight an invisible, deadly enemy: COVID-19. A story that is still changing lives every day.

The Chicago COVID Community Response Corps is a story of a unique collaboration of workforce development and public health in our region. Join Partnership COVID-19 Response Project Director Claudia Cattouse-Regalado as she sits down with Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady and Corps Members Cornelius Chandler and Cynthia Rodriguez, to talk about this unique program, in which people are working together to fight an invisible, deadly enemy: COVID-19. A story that is still changing lives every day.

The American Job Center Chicago and Cook County Network Orientation. To see a list of locations, click here: AJC-web-3.pdf (chicookworks.org)

The conversation continues in part two of Beyond the Data: Real Stories of the Great Resignation, where host and Partnership CEO Karin M. Norington-Reaves dives into the motivations behind employees stepping away from the workforce, and the ripple effects those decisions have throughout our lives. 

Millions of Americans are stepping away from their jobs in a movement many have dubbed, "The Great Resignation." Joining host and Partnership CEO Karin M. Norington-Reaves are some who have reset or reimagined their work-lives: an entrepreneur and consultant; a Chief Strategy Officer at Near North Health; and an aspiring Voice Over Artist. The conversation is balanced out by an employer facing a workforce shortage and an expert who helps us better understand the "secret sauce" behind the motivation for these changes.  

Join host Karin Norington-Reaves, CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, in part two of this episode as we continue the conversation about the manufacturing industry. Special guests mHub CEO and Co-Founder Haven Allen; Just Ice CEO and General Manager of Fat Ice Conrad Burnett; Technology and Manufacturing Association President Patrick Osborn; and Symbol Training Institute Founder and Executive Director Diana Peters discuss manufacturing “offshoring,” supply chain challenges, apprenticeships, equity in the manufacturing industry and more. 

Join host Karin Norington-Reaves, CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, for part one of a two-part conversation about all things manufacturing as we celebrate Manufacturing Month. Joining her are experts in the field, each with their own unique journey in the industry: a community organizer and former Peace Corp member who is now the CEO of a manufacturing innovation center; a CEO who was formerly involved with the criminal justice system and experienced homelessness who finds daily peace of mind in his high-tech manufacturing work; a daughter of immigrants who left a job at a prestigious law firm to follow in her father's footsteps when the business needed to create a much-needed talent pipeline; and the new president of a manufacturing association who stumbled into the trade after leaving his home of Dublin, Ireland to join an apprenticeship program in the U.S. There is talk of earning 6-figure wages in work that some still associate with “grit and grime,” and exploration of a career ladder that offers equity in the workplace doesn't necessarily require a 4-year degree.

The calendar may no longer say it's September and Workforce Development Month, but this conversation is engaging at any time. Tune in as Partnership CEO and host Karin M. Norington-Reaves covers a wide range of topics with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. The discussion includes the President's perspectives on serious topics such as “politics as a team sport,” and digital and racial equity and some surprises, like President Preckwinkle's earliest career aspirations (we bet you can't guess) and how she unwinds during these challenging times. Listen in as these two remarkable women share a funny, candid and important conversation about workforce development and much more in Cook County.

In this 2-part episode you'll hear about how Discover Financial Services is opening a new customer care center in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood and bringing nearly 1,000 full-time jobs to the area. Host Karin Norington-Reaves, CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, is joined by a panel of representatives from Discover Financial Services as they discuss Discover's approach to and definition of community investment, why they chose Chatham as the site for the customer care center, as well as Discover's equity and inclusion goals.

In this 2-part episode you'll hear about how Discover Financial Services is opening a new customer care center in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood and bringing nearly 1,000 full-time jobs to the area. Host Karin Norington-Reaves, CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, is joined by a panel of representatives from Discover Financial Services as they discuss Discover's approach to and definition of community investment, why they chose Chatham as the site for the customer care center, as well as Discover's equity and inclusion goals.

Over 15 months have passed since the start of the global pandemic, and although vaccinations are on the rise, the impact on the economy continues. In Cook County alone more than 1.5 million people filed for unemployment benefits- roughly half the population of Chicago. According to the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, more than 50 Chicago hotels closed during the pandemic, putting more than 20,00 people out of work. Tune in for a 2-part conversation with host Karin Norington-Reaves, CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, about what the re-opening of the U.S. economy means for the hospitality industry and the millions of people it used to employ. Karin is joined by Kimberly Bares, CEO of the Magnificent Mile Association, Michael Jacobson, President and CEO of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, and Sam Toia, President and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association. 

Over 15 months have passed since the start of the global pandemic, and although vaccinations are on the rise, the impact on the economy continues. In Cook County alone more than 1.5 million people filed for unemployment benefits- roughly half the population of Chicago. According to the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, more than 50 Chicago hotels closed during the pandemic, putting more than 20,00 people out of work. Tune in for a 2-part conversation with host Karin Norington-Reaves, CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, about what the re-opening of the U.S. economy means for the hospitality industry and the millions of people it used to employ. Karin is joined by Kimberly Bares, CEO of the Magnificent Mile Association, Michael Jacobson, President and CEO of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, and Sam Toia, President and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association. 

Join host Karin Norington-Reaves, CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership for part one of a two part conversation about the roles of women at work, what's changed and what's stayed the same. Joining Karin on the podcast are Cherita Ellens, President and CEO of Women Employed, an organization dedicated to advancing inclusivity and fairness for all women in the workplace. Also joining the conversation is Cherita's  daughter Nia Wilson, a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University and soon to be graduate student at the University of Chicago, and another special guest, Gerri Norington, retired entrepreneur, author, and business coach, and Karin's mother. In part two of the conversation, the ladies discuss women being overlooked for opportunities or not being heard at work. Gerri shares her experiences that led her to become an entrepreneur, and Nia discusses how things might be different for her generation. Discover what an equitable labor market might look like. 

Join host Karin Norington-Reaves, CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, for part one of a two part conversation about the roles of women at work, what's changed and what's stayed the same. Joining Karin on the podcast are Cherita Ellens, President and CEO of Women Employed, an organization dedicated to advancing inclusivity and fairness for all women in the workplace. Also joining the conversation is Cherita's  daughter Nia Wilson, a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University and soon to be graduate student at the University of Chicago, and another special guest, Gerri Norington, retired entrepreneur, author, and business coach, and Karin's mother.    In part one of the conversation, you'll hear about opportunities and challenges for women at work, advice for caregivers juggling the demands of work and family, and fears and concerns that women articulate when it comes to caregiving.