Unique Characteristics
Section description
Business Career Services Illinois
- BCS leverages its facility not only for training and hiring events but also for hosting employer workshops and skills assessments, offering value beyond traditional workforce services.
- The organization positions itself as a “red tape cutter,” minimizing bureaucratic hurdles for employers while maintaining compliance with program requirements.
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 provides concierge-level services, including one year of retention coaching post-hire, to ensure job seekers remain successful in their roles.
- Cara emphasizes social-emotional training as a key differentiator for its job seekers, promoting them as resilient and reliable hires. This focus on emotional development is not explicitly highlighted in Cook County’s methods.
- Cara’s “Motivations” sessions serve as a unique way to showcase its culture, participant achievements, and supportive environment. Employers attending these sessions witness celebrations of participant milestones, such as job placements or one-year anniversaries.
- Cara positions itself as a pre-apprenticeship program, preparing participants with workplace skills like time management and professionalism before connecting them to employers. This shifts employer perceptions of Cara from a community group to a professional workforce development organization.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Tim Loeffler in 2025. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services
- DFSS is a broad human services organization with multiple divisions, such as Youth Services, Senior Services, and Homeless Services, which all intersect with workforce development. This integration allows DFSS to address workforce needs alongside other social challenges.
- The organization prioritizes serving vulnerable populations, such as homeless residents, returning citizens, and immigrants. Workforce services are tailored to meet the unique challenges of these groups.
- DFSS tailors its youth employment programs to address high-risk populations, including justice-involved youth, youth in foster care, and those disconnected from traditional education.
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 organization’s workforce development programs, like TIFWorks (TIF: Tax Increment Financing), are tied to specific geographic areas (e.g., TIF districts) that have funding available.
- Workforce grants provided by DPD operate on a reimbursement basis, requiring businesses to pay for training upfront and submit proof for reimbursement.
- A hallmark of DPD’s approach is personalized technical support for employers throughout the grant lifecycle. Staff provide guidance on the application process, documentation, and compliance to reduce barriers for businesses navigating city programs.
- DPD primarily works with small and mid-sized businesses, often engaging directly with owners or upper-level management.
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 Bureau operates both as a funder, providing grants to nonprofits and workforce partners, and as a policymaker, influencing workforce development strategies and compliance with laws like WIOA. This dual role allows it to integrate funding and policy perspectives into its initiatives.
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.
Illinois Division of Rehabilitative Services
- DRS is Illinois’ lead agency dedicated to connecting individuals with disabilities to meaningful employment opportunities.
- Employers receive free disability awareness training, job accommodations guidance, and support with workforce incentives.
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 Persons with Disabilities
- MOPD offers free training to employers at all levels to foster inclusion and understanding of disability-related workplace dynamics, benefiting both employers and employees.
- They serve individuals with a wide range of disabilities, including physical, mental health, neurodiversity, and chronic illnesses, tailoring support to their specific needs.
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.
Per Scholas
- Programs are tailored to current industry needs, offering over 300–400 hours of intensive, hands-on training in high-demand fields such as cybersecurity, software engineering, IT support, and cloud computing.
- Per Scholas provides robust post-graduation support, including no-cost alumni upskilling opportunities, ongoing career coaching, and guidance on promotions and salary negotiations.
- Employers are actively engaged through opportunities like volunteering, speaking events, and classroom interactions.
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 uniquely addresses employer-specific challenges like workforce shortages, prolonged hiring processes, and onboarding delays by offering immediate interim solutions. For example, providing access to a pre-screened candidate pool ensures that employers can quickly fill critical gaps. This proactive approach transforms Pyramid Partnerships from a traditional workforce program into a real-time problem-solver for employers, addressing operational disruptions directly.
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.
scaleLIT
- ScaleLIT acts as a coalition, collaborating across titles and systems (e.g., American Job Centers [AJCs], community colleges, state-level programs) to create practical solutions for employers and job seekers.
- The organization’s efforts prioritize understanding and addressing employer needs rather than overloading them with program complexities.
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.
[TBD] Points of alignment
This section is in progress and should not be read for content. Once filled out, this section will offer an overview of topic-specific alignments among organizations listed above.
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