Collaborating with Other Organizations
Examples of how workforce organizations collaborate with others within the workforce ecosystem, including details on the tools and systems used to coordinate and manage collaborative efforts.
Business Career Services Illinois
- Collaboration with other workforce agencies and community-based organizations is common.
- Shared resources, such as job seeker databases, make it easier for BCS and its partners to work together, share information, and quickly connect the right candidates with the right jobs.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Deb Lawrence in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Cara Collective
- Cara partners with organizations like Skills for Chicagoland’s Future and multiple community partners on initiatives, such as training academies with ComEd, to address hiring needs and expand placement opportunities.
- Employers are referred to other workforce development organizations when Cara cannot meet specific hiring requirements, with partnerships often involving shared placements or sponsorship opportunities.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Tim Loeffler in 2025. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership
- The Partnership receives referrals from various sources, such as local Chambers of Commerce, the Illinois Department of Employment Securities, and other employers. By using Career Connect, The Partnership is able to provide real-time feedback to referring partners and any other organizations that are involved in the placement about the status of an opportunity. This keeps providers, employers, and job seekers informed about the placement.
- The Partnership takes advantage of and encourages shared placement opportunities. The procedure for adding this information to Career Connect is available here. For example, a BRED Specialist may ask providers to send a list of pre-screened talent for a specific open position. If the candidate is selected, both The Partnership and the referring organization will receive credit for the placement. This process reduces competition among the various provider organizations in the ecosystem.
This content is based on interviews and/or email correspondence with Claudia Cattouse and Tonya Cody-Robinson in 2024. This content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
City Colleges of Chicago
- Olive-Harvey completes most projects with employers in tandem with other workforce partners. Olive-Harvey typically provides the educational component of workforce projects and collaborates with other organizations specializing in client and support services. Workforce partners collaborate with Olive-Harvey to define the scope of activities for the project, which are recorded in a Letter of Intent or Memorandum of Understanding.
- To encourage participation from workforce providers with the Good Jobs Challenge, Olive-Harvey promotes shared placement opportunities.
This content is based on interviews and/or email correspondence with Joachim Borha in 2024 and 2025. This content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services
- DFSS collaborates with organizations like Skills for Chicagoland’s Future and World Business Chicago for employer referrals.
- Delegate agencies are expected to maintain independent relationships and share placement opportunities.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Lisa Hampton, Chadra Lang, and Mark Sanders in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development
- The Department of Planning and Development partners with City departments, Sister Agencies, Aldermanic Offices, Delegate Agencies, and community-based organizations to support outreach and referrals.
- DPD administers small business grant programs and promotes Workforce Solutions alongside them through regular communication with community partners and Aldermanic offices.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Lijia Evariz in 2024. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
Cook County Bureau of Economic Development
- The Cook County Bureau of Economic Development partners with organizations like Skills for Chicagoland’s Future and NIMS to conduct joint outreach efforts, including roadshows and trade association meetings.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Michael Thompson in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Corporate Coalition
- Cara Plus and the Corporate Coalition are responsible for employer recruitment and engagement, with Cara Plus identifying potential cohort participants.
- The Corporate Coalition, Cara Plus, Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, and CWFA meet weekly to maintain an updated list of workforce resources for employer referrals.
- The referral process is informal, with no standardized tracking system.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Harper College
- Harper College collaborates with chambers of commerce, rotary clubs, and manufacturing forums to expand employer engagement.
- The college provides apprenticeship training for multiple industries, often working with local and state-level workforce partners.
- Training events and knowledge-sharing sessions are held for other community colleges to expand apprenticeship program adoption.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Besa Sadiku in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Illinois Division of Rehabilitative Services
- Partnerships with WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) partners are established for events and shared placements.
- Collaboration occurs with partners such as the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) for networking opportunities between employers and job seekers. Information is distributed for these events.
- Collaboration to organize career fairs at locations like Harper College and McHenry County College is common during October, which is National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
- Employers are referred to other entities for specific needs, such as veteran hiring or refugee workforce connections.
- IDRS is in the process of implementing formal agreements or MOUs for shared placement opportunities.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Biswa Phuyal in 2025. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
- MOPD collaborates with community organizations to provide additional job opportunities and support.
- The organization partners with other organizations to exchange insights on employer engagement, validate practices, and explore program development ideas, such as community hiring initiatives.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Lauren Hooberman in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
National Able Network
- National Able collaborates with workforce providers throughout Illinois. If an employer has a need that National Able is not able to meet, they regularly connect employers with organizations within the workforce ecosystem through informal and formal means.
- National Able utilizes Career Connect to facilitate employer referrals to other providers.
This content is based on interviews and/or email correspondence with Matt Weiss in 2024 and 2025. This content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Northern Illinois University Workforce Policy Lab
- Specialists are trained to refer employers to workforce partners when apprenticeships are not the best fit.
- No formalized reporting metric exists for tracking referrals.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Jennifer Foil in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Per Scholas
- Referrals are occasionally made to employers when Per Scholas cannot meet their specific needs.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Kelsey Briggs-Dineen in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Pyramid Partnership Inc
- Pyramid Partnerships collaborates with local workforce boards and community colleges to expand employer networks.
- Shared placements are facilitated by coordinating with other organizations to meet employer needs across sectors.
- Collaboration agreements ensure that resources and funding are effectively braided for mutual benefit.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Kelly Brown in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
RiseKit
- The RiseKit platform was designed to encourage networking among all parties that use the system. It serves as a database of jobs, job training programs, wraparound services, and job seeker profiles. When employers use the system, they are encouraged to invite any workforce development providers that they are engaged with to use the platform. This continues to build the network and provide more value to all.
This content is based on interviews and/or email correspondence with Josh Glantz in 2024 and 2025. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
scaleLIT
- Collaboration involves referring employers to relevant partners or programs when necessary.
- Shared placements and combined funding are common in multi-stakeholder ecosystems.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Becky Raymond in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
World Business Chicago
- WBC makes employer referrals by directly introducing contacts via email, including a company overview and relevant workforce details. If possible, they facilitate a three-way introduction.
- There is no formal tracking system for employer referrals or shared placements across WBC. Informal coordination happens between workforce partners.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Tana Francellno in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Points of alignment
This section provides an overview of practices that are similar across organizations.
Point #1
Collaboration among workforce organizations is common.
Point #2
Organizations collaborate to address large-scale hiring needs, exchange insights on employer engagement, validate practices, explore program development ideas, and more.
Point #3
If an organization is unable to meet an employer’s specific hiring requirements, a partnership may be created among one or more workforce organizations to create an opportunity that serves all parties.
Point #4
Career Connect is a collaborative tool that many organizations use to track and monitor employers’ interactions with other players in the workforce ecosystem, like shared placements and referrals.
