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Join The Partnership CEO as he talks to Erin Cohan, Director of Talent Acquisition, Northwestern Medicine and Yocelyn (Yessi) Pina, a Culinary Apprentice with the Navigate Program who has benefited from regional WIOA funding.  Both these women have healthcare and hospitality at their core. The conversation began as a discussion of the 9th Annual Hospitality Hires Chicago on May 28, 2026, but led to a profound discussion of the way a major healthcare employer values patient and employee care and how a young woman found her "health and wealth"  and says her culinary training  "goes beyond a career, this is my life."

"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 matter what your background may be.

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 to Illinois during the Great Migration from the South during the time of the Jim Crow laws.

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.

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 student is ready to succeed.

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.

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.

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!

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 employer why apprenticeship isn't just a new-fangled word for internship, but much more.

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, the need for stronger regional connections, and how we can better meet the moment for residents who rely on this network. Finally, the "public" in public workforce network doesn't mean it's free. Customers have pre-paid with their tax dollar so there's a credit on your account. Let's use it!

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 systems in shape? In episode one of this special series, Where We Are Now and Where We Are Going: A Look at  Public Workforce Systems,  George discusses these questions and more with Julio Rodriguez, Deputy Director of the Office of Employment and Training, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; and Brad Turner-Little, president and CEO of the National Association of Workforce Boards.

The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership's Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) Workforce Hubs provide two training programs in the Chicago and suburban Cook County region: a Bridge Program and a Job-Specific Training Program. These programs are preparing hundreds of participants for careers as Weatherization and HVAC professionals, Solar Photovoltaic Installers, Electric Vehicle Charging Station Installers, Hybrid Auto Technicians and more. Tune into this podcast to hear how this program is changing lives every day.  Hear first hand from a program graduate who is now working in this high-demand, high-growth field: "When we think of clean energy, when we think about the engineers and electricians, I don't think of people that look like me or the people that were in the class with me. So it gave me that confidence, which I think is the first thing that anybody would need to go out and do anything that is foreign or new, because typically hearing about ComEd or construction management, I'm like, 'Oh, well, I'm automatically not qualified because of my background.' And they said, 'No, you're even more qualified because of that.'"--  Isis J. , graduate, Partnership's Network CEJA Workforce Hub Program

Hospitality Hires Chicago, a Partnership production, offers a truly exceptional hiring experience. If you're selecting just one employment event this year, here's why this should be your choice: You'll be matched with the ideal employer for your skills and aspirations. The event's "secret sauce" is that all participating organizations must come with open positions and be ready to hire on the spot! You won't find dead-end jobs here. Instead, discover rewarding career opportunities with competitive wages and comprehensive benefits across diverse sectors including childcare, healthcare, public transportation, and traditional hospitality employers.

In this episode, Chicago's Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Garien Gatewood joins host and CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership George Wright to discuss Chicago's innovative approach to violence reduction and its intersection with workforce development. The deputy mayor outlines his office's strategy of empowering neighborhoods to participate in sharing their priorities and thoughts in developing local safety initiatives, working block by block to address unique local needs. The conversation explores the vital link between employment and safety, showcased by a recent hiring fair that drew over 900 residents and more than 1,200 registrants. Deputy Mayor Gatewood reveals how Chicago is moving beyond traditional policing to embrace a holistic approach, uniting government agencies, community organizations, and residents to create sustainable change in the city's most challenged areas.

In recognition of the 10th annual National Apprenticeship Week, this episode explores the transformative power of modern apprenticeship programs through an engaging discussion with employers, apprentices, and workforce development leaders. Led by George Wright, CEO of The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, the conversation features insights from Rob Johnson of the Building Owners and Management Association of Chicago, Jennifer Charles of GCJ Hospitality Resources, and apprentices Natalie Guzman and Janira Martinez. The discussion highlights how apprenticeships have evolved beyond traditional trades to create valuable career pathways in commercial property management, hospitality, and other sectors. Panelists explore themes such as employee retention versus acquisition, the importance of mentorship, and how apprenticeships create structured learning environments that benefit both employers and participants. For more information about apprenticeships, reach out to The Partnership at [email protected].