Workforce Development Partnership Series : Abstracts

Building a World-Class Information Technology Workforce for the Chicago Region: A Framework for Action
Davis Jenkins
November 2001

This paper represents the findings and recommendations from a study funded by the MacArthur Foundation and conducted by Davis Jenkins of Great Cities Institute and Judith Kossy of CAEL. It addresses the questions of what are the long-term needs of the region for IT workers, and what steps are needed to develop an IT workforce that supports the region's economic development into the future. The report presents answers based on interviews with employers and others from throughout the Chicagoland area. The recommendations have been adopted as a blue print for action by a joint working group of Mayor Daley's Council of Technology Advisors and the Chicago Workforce Board.

Reducing Recidivism through Work: Barriers and Opportunities for Employment of Ex-Offenders
Svenja Heinrich
September 2000

This paper highlights the obstacles that ex-offenders face in securing gainful employment and proposes strategies for better addressing the employment needs of ex-offenders, drawing lessons from model employment programs for ex-offenders. The paper concludes with a discussion of continuing challenges for practice and policy.

Measuring the Performance of Job Trainers under WIA: Results of a Survey of Chicago Providers
James Lewis and Nikolas Theodore
February 2000

This report presents the results and key findings of a survey of job training and placement providers in Chicago. The survey was conducted to inform the design of new Workforce Investment Act performance standards. The report provides evidence of factors that lead to success in job placement, both in terms of placements rates and average wages at the time of placement.

Strategy for Building a World-Class Workforce for Chicago
August 1999

This discussion paper presents a vision for a workforce development system that meets the needs of Chicago's employers, workers and communities, and outlines steps for realizing that vision. It recommends roles that employers and other stakeholders can play in putting Chicago's considerable resources for workforce development to work for the continued economic development of the city and region.

Workforce Investment Act: Recommendations for Implementation in Illinois
Nikolas Theodore
July 1999

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) provides the framework for the new national workforce preparation and employment system that serves adults, dislocated workers, and youth. Title I of WIA authorizes the new Workforce Investment System which is based on the principles of local-level program design, management, and delivery; greater choice for job seekers in selecting services as well as ease of access through one-stop delivery of services; and increased participation by private sector employers in the design and operation of the workforce preparation system. WIA offers states and localities unprecedented discretion and flexibility in designing and delivering services at the local level. Successful implementation of WIA, therefore, requires that state and local officials, service providers, and private sector employers develop an understanding of the key provisions of the Act so that they can design effective programs. This policy brief provides a description of key components of Title I as well as recommendations for its implementation in Illinois.

Beyond Welfare-to-Work: Bridging the Low-Wage – Livable-Wage Employment Gap
Davis Jenkins
January 1999

This issue brief explores the gap between low-wage and livable-wage jobs and describes efforts to help the “working poor” bridge this gap. It also examines why programs designed to bridge the gap are not more common and recommends public policies for increasing their prevalence and effectiveness.

Making Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Work for Workforce Development: The Case of Chicago
Rachel Weber
September 1999

This brief explores the benefits and limitations of using Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to finance workforce development. Focusing on Chicago as a case study, it examines current efforts in this area, including partnerships between community-based organizations and the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development, to provide job placement and training services for jobs in the City's industrial corridors. In comparing TIF to other federal sources of financing, I find that TIF is a more flexible source because it is locally controlled. TIF also has the potential to strengthen the connection between workforce issues and conventional economic development activities (i.e., business attraction and retention). However, TIF-funded workforce efforts lack up-front capital, assurance from the City that funds reserved for job training will actually be committed to these activities, and the means to select and regulate the behavior of recipient firms and service providers. I suggest innovative ways to front fund such efforts, increase accountability and improve service delivery.