Episode 42: April is Second/Fair Chance Month
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“If there was a class about how to tie my shoes, I took it!” says Charlotte A., a reentrant who has worked for the past eight years at North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN), about her 20 years of incarceration. “I saw people leave and come back,” she recalls, “and I knew I was not coming back.” She heard about CEO Brenda Palms and NLEN’s programs for those with a background while she was still “inside,” and “hit the ground running once she was out.” Listen in as we talk about Second (or Fair) Chance month and the importance of self-value and giving back no...
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Episode 41: Women in Charge: It’s Not About Gender, It’s About Skills
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Partnership CEO George Wright is joined by Diana Peters, Executive Director, Symbol Training Institute and Nicole Robinson, CEO, YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago to discuss their career journeys as female leaders. Ms. Robinson describes herself as a “walking ROI” who benefited from the 4 P’s: public schools; public parks, public libraries and public assistance. Ms. Peters notes that, as a manufacturing industry training leader, “it’s not about gender, it’s about skills.” Both women reflect on their families’ journeys, one from Eastern Europe and one from Arkansas...
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Episode 40: Black History Month Reminds Us That Leadership is Rooted in Legacy and Community
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As Black History Month comes to a close, join three Black leaders as they share their paths to success and talk about the family members whose faith helps propel them to this day. Partnership CEO and podcast host George Wright is joined by Greg Coles, SELOC founder and president, a leading electric fleet conversion company, and Michael-Charles Hilson, Vice President at GBG Insurance, who focuses on connecting Black contractors with the business tools and staff they need to succeed.
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Episode 39: Relevance and Affordability Should be Two Important Words in Education Today
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Join us as we talk to Terrance Hopson, Regional Vice President of the Midwest Region for Western Governors University. WGU is an online school with nearly 6,000 active students in Illinois and more than 12,000 graduates in the state. The conversation addresses head on the challenge of student debt and aligning education to careers that will provide a good wage and path forward. The goal is to obtain a credential of economic value that meets workforce needs. Our CEO and Dr. Hopson discuss the reality of today’s education and career training landscape and how to help ensure every...
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Episode 38: Trees (and a Career Path) Are a Good Investment in Your Future
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Interested in joining an army to take of the planet? It’s not a hard as it sounds. If you want to combine meaningful work with long-term fulfillment, working as an arborist may be for you. Plant your roots in an apprenticeship that will allow you to grow for years. Join our guests today as they discuss the Arborist Registered Apprenticeship program through Openlands in the Chicago region. For more information, visit Openlands.org.
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Episode 37: It Takes a Village to Create a Successful Internship
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This episode shows the lifecycle of a successful internship. You will hear from senior level professionals who talk about their own first jobs, as well as a high school senior who is just starting out with a great apprenticeship/internship opportunity. Everyone has a story. Everyone begins somewhere. Listen to these four people tell their stories, and give advice about how to make your own dreams come true.
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Episode 36: Healthcare and Green Energy Sectors Grow Careers: You Can Find Success Without a B.A.
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You can bring your whole self to work! Join workforce development leaders who work in 365 24/7 high-demand sectors! Hear them discuss how they create talent pipelines that remove barriers and in an ever changing eco-system. Don’t miss the chance to hear how local large employers are working to put successful, long-term careers in reach!
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Episode 35: What's the Fuss About Apprenticeships?
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Both businesses and career seekers give apprenticeships an A+ ! Apprenticeships help businesses develop their talent within a proven model and help career-seekers ‘earn while they learn’ while on the job. The Partnership aligns its apprenticeship initiative with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Program and the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, expanding beyond traditionally known trades to promoting the model in non-traditional industries and occupations nationwide. Join us to hear from City Colleges of Chicago and a local...
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Episode 34: Exploring Our Region’s American Job Center Network This Workforce Development Month
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How is our WIOA-funded American Job Center network really doing? In this episode, we take a look from the inside out—everything from curb appeal to what it’s like to actually work with the system. Joining the conversation are Mark Sanders II, Deputy Commissioner of Workforce Services for the City of Chicago; Irene Sherr, Deputy Bureau Chief for the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development; and Becky Raymond, Executive Director of ScaleLit and Partnership One Stop Operator. Together, they talk about why it’s time to “flip the script” and focus on sector-based work with employers,...
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Episode 33: Where We Are Now and Where We Are Going: A Look at Public Workforce Systems
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September 2025 is the 20th annual Workforce Development Month. If we hold a mirror up to ourselves, how do we look? Like most of us, we see some areas where we excel and others where we can improve. Throughout September, The Partnership is streaming 4 live podcasts hosted by CEO George Wright, joined by regional and national leaders, funders and partners, to discuss today’s the public workforce systems. Whether it is working our way out of silos or focusing on designing our systems around the needs of employers, is it time to ‘hit the gym’ and get parts of our...
info_outlineThe 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!