Corporations, Leading Foundations Join Forces to Launch $3.2M Apprenticeship Collaborative in Chicago to Help Hire 350 Apprentices Over Two Years

CHICAGO, Jan. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Multiple leading corporations and foundations with significant Chicago presence have announced Apprenticeship 2020, a new $3.2M fund to scale high-quality work-based learning programs in Chicago with the goal of hiring 350 apprentices over two years.

JPMorgan Chase, Salesforce.org, The Joyce Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, Pritzker Traubert Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Aon, Accenture, and others have collaborated on the initiative to accelerate the growth of nontraditional apprenticeships in high-demand industries and occupations.

In partnership with the Chicago Apprentice Network, co-created by Aon and Accenture, the driving force behind apprenticeship expansion efforts in the Chicago region, Apprenticeship 2020 will develop infrastructure, build capacity and test new solutions to address employer barriers in launching apprenticeships and other types of work-based learning models.

"City Colleges of Chicago has the 21st century academic and workforce preparedness programs that prepare students for success in the fast-growing industries bringing jobs to our city, and companies are taking notice," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "Apprenticeship 2020 will provide our highly-skilled graduates with resources and a pipeline to help them transition seamlessly into in-demand careers with top companies across Chicago."

"Our apprenticeships program has far exceeded our expectations in terms of its impact on both our firm and Chicago," said Greg Case, CEO of Aon. "We've attracted new employees we never would have reached and provided students opportunities to gain invaluable, hands-on experiences while furthering their education. We look forward to sharing what we see as a long-term business strategy with more employers and cities using the Chicago Apprentice Network as a model of excellence."

Effective earn-and-learn apprenticeship models are a combination of classroom learning and employer-site on-the-job training. These models explore new avenues for finding talent, including candidates from non-traditional sources and can enable the sustainable and successful hiring of apprentices by local employers.

"The Pritzker Traubert Foundation is deeply committed to greater economic mobility for all Chicagoans and an essential part of achieving this goal is supporting employer-led efforts that lead to more opportunities for workers across our great city," said Penny Pritzker, Pritzker Traubert Foundation Trustee and former United States Secretary of Commerce. "We are excited to support Apprenticeship 2020 and partner with the Chicago Apprentice Network to increase economic opportunity for individuals and families in Chicago."

"Professional apprenticeships can play an important role in closing the skills gap," said Julie Sweet, CEO – North America, Accenture. "Together with the other member companies of the Chicago Apprentice Network and Apprenticeship 2020, we can accelerate the creation of these opportunities for the extremely talented individuals who might not otherwise participate in the digital economy—a win win for our communities, companies and the country."

Apprenticeship 2020 has made a $1.25M investment in City Colleges of Chicago to launch a new office of Apprenticeship & Workforce Solutions that will help employers develop apprenticeship programs, recruit students to apprenticeship opportunities, and implement academic curriculum for apprenticeship and work-based learning programs.

"Through Apprenticeship 2020 and its support for City Colleges of Chicago, we look forward to seeing more Chicago employers hiring apprentices in high-demand, high-paying industries," said Whitney Smith, Head of Midwest Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase. "At JPMorgan Chase, we intend to welcome our first technology apprentices from City Colleges later this year."

"By exponentially growing Chicago's work-based learning opportunities, we are investing in a triple bottom line – the bottom line of Chicago companies, our students' futures, and our City's growth," said Chancellor Juan Salgado. "I commend Chicago's business community for their leadership of this effort. As employers, they gain a reliable pipeline of diverse, ambitious, and loyal employees and our students are afforded the chance to contribute their wealth of talent to a more inclusive Chicago economy." For more information, visit: http://apprenticeship.ccc.edu/

In 2018, City Colleges Chancellor Juan Salgado announced a goal of offering at least half of graduates a work-based learning opportunity while at City Colleges or immediately following.

"At Salesforce.org, we believe that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. We are deeply committed to partnering with organizations that are measurably improving outcomes for young adults in our local communities," said Ebony Frelix, EVP and Chief Philanthropy Officer, Salesforce.org.  "We are proud to join with other foundations to support Apprenticeship 2020. Initiatives like this enable us to support young adults in acquiring in-demand skills and connecting them to the sectors and companies that need them most." 

To support the new apprenticeship programs that will be launched at City Colleges of Chicago, funding from Apprenticeship 2020 will also be used to expand the capacity of One Million Degrees, the only organization in Illinois providing pre-employment training, mentoring, and wrap-around services to community college students.

"By expanding our partnership with City Colleges of Chicago to provide essential support to a growing cohort of apprentices, One Million Degrees can help fulfill the promise of community colleges as the launching pad to career success, while responding to the growing needs of employers for well-trained workers," said Paige Ponder, CEO, OMD. "OMD is thrilled to be a truly integrated partner with City Colleges."

"Now is the time to develop an integrated apprenticeship system that helps employers meet talent needs with a more diverse talent pipeline and provides opportunities for workers to pursue careers that were previously inaccessible," said Molly Leonard, McCormick Foundation and co-chair of the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance.

ABOUT THE CHICAGOLAND WORKFORCE FUNDER ALLIANCE

Since its founding in 2012, the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance (CWFA) has engaged over 30 funders to advance its shared mission of collaborating with employers and other workforce stakeholders to increase employment, earnings and racial equity for underprepared workers in the Chicago region. The Funder Alliance is known as the region's major convener of the philanthropic community interested in workforce development and employment. Through a combination of grant making and civic leadership the Funder Alliance has used this role to carve out a unique position at the complex intersection point of workforce development, social justice, education and economic development. Learn more about CWFA and its initiatives at www.chicagoworkforcefunders.org and follow us on: Twitter or LinkedIn

Media Contact:
Cyndi Solitro
csolitro@cct.org 
312-565-4169

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SOURCE Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance