2021 Impact Report:

Toward an Inclusive Recovery

The impact of the global pandemic was still felt in 2021 as employers and job seekers made sense of new workforce trends and realities. At Skills, we focused on growing our partnerships, scaling our services across Chicago and nationally, and deepening our investment in closing the opportunity gap.

Browse our 2021 Annual Impact Report for metrics, program overviews, and success stories featuring job seekers, employers, and community partners.

: Dear Supporters, Partners, and Friends:

Upon completing our ninth year, it's important to reflect on the impact jobs have had on unemployed and underemployed individuals and communities across the Chicagoland area. Together, we have achieved significant new milestones this year. Our dedicated team has helped more than 9,500 job seekers secure employment since our founding in 2012, with 70% of those candidates residing in the South and West Side neighborhoods. We have expanded our local neighborhood reach by opening our first Skills Neighborhood Link office in Englewood this past summer. With the pro bono consulting support of EY, we created our new 3-year strategic plan which calls for us to place an additional 4,500 Chicagoans into jobs while investing in technology and innovation. Additionally, we launched a $10 million fundraising campaign to expand nationally.

Now, more than ever, employers must commit to hiring a more diverse workforce and seeking talent in new places. These are the fastest ways to level the economic playing field, especially in Chicago’s underinvested communities. While we are making great strides, until job equity and inclusive hiring are the ‘norms,’ there is still much work to do.

On behalf of Skills for Chicagoland’s Future and our Board of Directors, thank you for joining us to celebrate another year of successful partnership with employers and community leaders.

The time for action is now. The pandemic continues to spotlight socioeconomic disparities, but economic equity is within sight if we all work together. Hire, donate, or volunteer at Skills for Chicagoland’s Future in 2022.

We look forward to expanding and strengthening our partnerships and impact in 2022 and beyond.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Marie Trzupek Lynch

Founding President and CEO

How We Work

We know the workforce “skills gap” is an access gap, so we flip the traditional workforce development model and start with the job. Working with our network of employer partners, we identify long-term hiring needs and connect unemployed and underemployed talent directly to open roles. We reduce barriers to employment and impact economic mobility in Chicago’s historically underinvested communities by working with our hiring partners to eliminate barriers that disqualify candidates unnecessarily.

Learn more

The War for Talent

As the COVID-19 pandemic surged and declined multiple times in 2021, the labor market was also unpredictable. Business demand for hiring increased across nearly all industries as the local economy recovered in the spring but struggles retaining and attracting talent persisted. A combination of talent opting out of the workforce due to more complex issues like caregiving responsibilities and health concerns paired with workers taking advantage of businesses offering higher wages and incentives created a very competitive market for hiring talent.

8 Months saw record quit rates

+10M available jobs for four consecutive months

+5.4% increase in pay for job switchers YOY, biggest increase in nearly 20 years

: 8 Months saw record quit rates

+10M available jobs for four consecutive months

+5.4% increase in pay for job switchers YOY, biggest increase in nearly 20 years
: 46% of unemployed U.S. men have criminal convictions

2x unemployment rate for African American job seekers compared to the White rate

+2.3% higher unemployment rate for those with only a HS diploma compared to Bachelor’s degree or higher
: On September 9, the Chicago Tribune published an op-ed by Skills CEO Marie Trzupek Lynch. In, “The ‘war for talent’ among Chicago companies: A survival guide,” she shared with the local business community what we’d been discussing internally and with our employer partners:

Companies had to be more creative and responsive with their compensation and benefits packages.

Flexible workspaces — whether hybrid or fully remote — will be a fixture long after COVID. Employers need to rethink their requirements for a physical presence.

Corporate Social Responsibility will be a driving factor in the decision to accept a role. Workers want to be part of a company that shares their values and will stand up for them.

An intentional focus on inclusive hiring is essential as a business and moral imperative.

2021 Placements

Last year, the Skills team served 12,000+ local job seekers through application screening, hiring events, community partner referrals, and our career development programs. Below is a demographic snapshot of the local talent we placed into quality jobs with leading local and national companies committed to inclusive hiring by reducing barriers to employment.

1,185

job seekers placed into roles by Skills

74%

of placements identify as female

42%

of placements are 24 or younger

26 & 29

average and median candidate age

47%

of candidates list their highest education level as High School diploma or GED

80%

of candidates are African American or Black

12%

of candidates are Hispanic or Latinx

96%

of candidates are BIPOC

Industry Insights

We partner with companies committed to inclusive hiring in a variety of industries and are focused on diversifying the roles offered to local talent. Our top roles and job types for 2021 were:

Customer Service/Call Center Representatives
Finance/Banking Professionals
Drivers
Housekeeping Assistants
Hospital Support Staff
Insurance Specialists
Retail Clerks & Cashiers

39%

of placements in retail

21%

of placements in financial services

16%

of placements in healthcare

10%

of placements in business services

9%

of placements in TDL & manufacturing

3%

of placements in food services

Our Work in Action

Despite variants and surges prolonging the pandemic, 2021 saw the return of in-person work as we adopted a hybrid model and hosted job fairs and hiring events in our Loop and Englewood offices alongside community and hiring partners.

Customer Service & Finance Job Fair

September 14, 2021

Local talent joined Skills & the CBO Collective in the Loop to hear about opportunities with Amazon, Chase Bank, Discover, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Wintrust, and more.

2021-impact-report-job-fair-snl-group_663x500

Retail Hiring Fair

November 9, 2021

Recruiters from Jewel-Osco, Walgreens, Walmart, Ulta Beauty, and Chicago Public Schools were on hand to interview and make same-day job offers! Our CBO partners were in attendance to provide additional resources to job seekers.

2021-impact-report-job-fair-snl-eddie_663x500

South Side Job Fair

July 15, 2021

We opened our Skills Neighborhood Link location in Englewood with an event featuring job opportunities on the South Side through Discover, Divvy Bikes, Ferrara Candy, UChicago Medicine, Ulta Beauty, Walgreens, and Walmart.

Delivering More than a Job

Our Career Access programs develop a long-term workforce by connecting local talent to quality jobs that increase economic mobility through coaching, mentoring, professional development, and educational opportunities.

Career Navigator

As COVID-19 disrupted industries and job seekers reevaluated their priorities, we launched the Career Navigator. This virtual program introduced participants to new pathways through info sessions, career readiness trainings and mock interviews, and mentorship. At the end of the program, candidates were given four possible directions to take: direct placement with BMO Harris Bank, the program's funding partner; continued education through a certificate or City College program; entry into one of Skills' Pivot to Success programs; or additional career readiness training with a Skills CBO partner.

Success Story: Mariah, a program participant referred to Skills from our partners at IDES, opted to continue her journey through direct employment with BMO Harris Bank. She is learning the ins and outs of the banking industry while building on her retail experience. "Not only did I gain a job, but also life skills I can keep applying. I've started working on my business that I'm trying to open up right now, so BMO's actually put me in alignment with my life purpose. During the Skills program, we made a roadmap. So to me, I feel like I'm completing my life goals."

College to Career

Skills launched this youth program to support recent college graduates ages 24 and under by acting as a professional network. In its second year, we hit our goals by connecting 40 job seekers with quality jobs at area employers. The program faced unique challenges in 2021: the turbulent "war for talent" relaxed degree requirements for demand-driven jobs; and companies struggled to predict their human resources needs, structure their DEI approaches, and align with job-ready candidates emerging from local colleges or working with our CBO partners.

Success Story: Jelanchea had been working in maintenance while she finished her bachelor’s degree. When the pandemic hit, she was laid off, but with two small children, she had to be employed. After a series of temp jobs, she found out about Skills’ College to Career program through our weekly Hot Jobs newsletter. She interviewed for the Program Coordinator role at GoHealth and began her new role in June. The culture has been very supportive and inclusive, and Jelnachea feels well-trained and invested in. She’s in a position to grow with a company that wants her to succeed.

Jobs 101

Our job and career readiness training youth program focused on helping candidates identify opportunities and land the job, experience workplace success, and build on personal and professional competencies. Our team provided resume training, one-on-one coaching, LinkedIn profile consulting, and mock interviews.

Measuring Impact: In 2021, we trained 326 young adults from seven CBO partners: Atlas, Christ the King, My Block My Hood My City, Mercy Home, CRED, StoryCatchers, and Utmost University. We also partnered with six employers: BMO Harris Bank, Chase Bank, McDonald's, Rush University Medical Center, UChicago Medicine, and Walgreens.

Pivot to Success

Partnering with leading local companies to develop career pathways through coaching, mentoring, and educational opportunities for young professionals, the Pivot to Success program impacts young adults looking for more than an entry-level job. Twenty-seven youth were placed into employment: all were BIPOC, 81% were women, and 83% are residents of South and West Side neighborhoods.

Success Story: A referral from the Paul Simon Job Corps, Quinton was hired in April 2021 as a Pharmacy Technician at Walgreens. Within six months of hire, he passed his Certified Pharmacy Technicians exam to become officially certified and promoted into a full-time Pharmacy Tech position. During that time, Quinton supported his cohort members at Walgreens by helping them study course material in his free time.

Going Local

In July, we opened the doors to our first Skills Neighborhood Link location, co-located with the Greater Englewood Community Development Corporation at 815 W. 63rd St. Our Englewood office serves as a hub for employers, job seekers, and the community at large. To date, we’ve held job fairs, meetings with funders and partners, and appointments for local candidates to meet with our Talent Acquisition team.

Over 70% of our placements are local talent from Chicago's South and West Side neighborhoods:

55%

placements from the South Side

21%

placements from the West Side

Top Placement Neighborhoods

1. South Shore

2. Austin

3. Chatham

4. Auburn Gresham

5. Greater Grand Crossing

6. North Lawndale

7. Roseland

8. Near West Side

9. West Englewood

10. Englewood

Candidate Success Stories

Malaya L.

Teller, BMO Harris Bank

Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Malaya and her best friend shared a goal to find jobs together. But when her best friend tragically passed away in November 2020, Malaya was left feeling lost and unmotivated. She signed up for our Career Navigator program with BMO Harris Bank, received interview guidance and support from her Skills recruiter, and was paired with a professional mentor.

In May 2021, Malaya received a job offer for a bank teller role at BMO Harris Bank.

"Thank you so much for giving a chance to a girl that felt lost. Being from where I'm from, I know the youth can really grow and find positive aspects in life with this type of program. I get inspiration from everything BMO has to offer."

Eduardo N.

Store Manager Trainee, Jewel-Osco

While attending the University of Illinois, Eddie also served in the Illinois Army National Guard. When his military contract expired, he was working part-time at a bank. Then the pandemic hit, and he needed more security. Through Skills, he joined the Store Manager Training program at Jewel-Osco.

"Growing up, Jewel was the grocery store to go to. I always wanted to see how it's run, and now I get to be behind the scenes. With the pandemic, I realized just how important grocery stores are. I see customers come in and meet up with friends they haven't seen in a while. As an essential worker, it feels good to have a guaranteed job, and I love getting to meet different people every day. It feels good knowing I provide something for society that's beneficial."

Theodore B.

Associate Banker, Chase Bank

Born and bred Chicagoan Theodore was self-employed most of his life. But the cost of owning a business, the desire to spend time with family, and the financial and social upheaval caused by the pandemic led him to look for a job that was flexible, stable, and closer to home. His search led him to Skills and our hiring partners at Chase.

“I was impressed that Skills saw the South Side as a market for talent. The problem with under-resourced areas is that no one takes time to engage those areas for talent. The community members have to leave the community to find ways to use their talent. When I heard about your work in Chatham, it impressed me. I've even given people that I know access to the Skills website.”

James C.

Referral Specialist, AIM Specialty Health

"I was amazed Peter remembered me, and I was thrilled about the position with AIM. It was everything I was looking for."

After almost 25 years in customer service, James found himself out of work. He connected with Skills shortly before the pandemic struck, slowing down his job search. But he made a strong impression on our recruiter, and a year later, we reached out and connected him with a new role at AIM Specialty Health. James was impressed with how Skills stepped in, provided the necessary supports and filled in the gaps to make the process of getting hired at AIM as smooth as possible.

Increase N.

Nurse Support Assistant, UChicago Medicine

Originally from Nigeria, Increase moved to Chicago with her family in 2018. As the eldest of three siblings, she feels a responsibility to support them. Back home and in Chicago, she worked in daycare but left the industry at the start of the pandemic.

While working part-time in Patient Transport at UCM, Increase joined our Career Navigator program. "I'm so thrilled I applied. It taught us how to be team workers and team leaders." She enrolled in UCM's Career Pathways program and completed an 8-week Basic Nursing Aide course at Malcolm X College. By the end of 2021, she was hired into a full-time clinical role, fulfilling her dream of working in nursing.

Brendan C.

Morningstar Development Program

When Brendan graduated in May 2021, he found himself in a hyper-competitive job market for recent grads. He earned a BA economics and finance, and he was open to experiences that would let him explore diverse business functions. But finding a job proved challenging— he got some initial interviews and no offers. And eventually, he stopped getting interviews altogether.

Not one to get discouraged, Brendan regrouped. He revamped his resume and applied for a Financial Analyst role through Skills. He wasn't the right fit for that position, but a month later, a recruiter reached out with a seemingly perfect opportunity: Morningstar's Development Program. In December 2021, Brendan joined a cohort of young professionals training in different departments and growing their careers in finance.

"I like this program because it opens doors and isn't a narrow path. And I like working with so many different people with different backgrounds and skillsets. It will contribute to my professional development."

Employer Spotlights

We placed 133 candidates into jobs at Walgreens through direct hiring in 2021—more than in the previous seven years combined. Our close working partnership allowed us to rethink our recruitment and submittal processes in 2021, reducing our time to fill roles by nearly half year over year.

Walgreens also funded and participated in our Pivot to Success program through their Pharmacy Technician career pathways.

Our partners made headlines in 2021 for their focus on DEI at the highest levels; they hired Roz Brewer as CEO in March , one of only two Black women CEOs across Fortune 500 companies.

One of the newest members in our employer network, Walmart quickly became one of our top companies for placements. In 2021, 134 local candidates were matched to quality jobs as Walmart transitioned most part-time retail associate roles into full-time status to grant access to healthcare and other benefits.

In June, they broke ground on the Walmart Academy training facility on the South Side, focused on HVAC and other technical skills. The academy is slated to open March 2022.

Walmart also supports Skills for America's Future, our national expansion initiative. They invested $500,000 toward our $10 million campaign to bring the Skills model to 25 cities in 10 years.

Roles in banking and finance grew in popularity among our job seekers in 2021 as many employers increased starting wages and made benefits more widely available. Our hiring partners at BMO Harris Bank deepened their commitment to local talent by participating in our Career Navigator program, designed to help participants develop personally and professionally through volunteer mentorships.

Through our direct hiring and career pathways programming, 18 candidates were placed into quality financial services jobs in 2021.

In 2021, BMO Harris Bank was named by Forbes as one of the Best Employers for Diversity for the third straight year, and they were recognized by Bloomberg's Gender-Equality Index for the sixth year in a row.

Our 2021 Employer Network

Neighborhood Impact Consulting

As part of Discover’s expansion plans, Skills met with their stakeholders to explore supporting their presence in a South or West Side neighborhood of Chicago, historically disinvested communities often overlooked for corporate jobs. This neighborhood impact initiative will welcome 1,000 employees from the surrounding area by the end of 2024.

Our teams worked in seven key project areas with a focus on Site Selection, Community Engagement, and Human Resources strategy. We also leveraged key partnerships with the City of Chicago, World Business Chicago, and CBRE.

In June 2021, Discover opened its first customer care center in 20 years, located in Chatham on the South Side. With 81% of the staff residing inside five miles of the facility, Discover is making good on its promise to hire locally, impact the quality of life of its team, and invest in the community.

At its 100-day mark, the Chatham customer care center had received top customer satisfaction scores.

Learn More

As the first workforce development partnership nationally for America’s second-largest employer (in revenue), we began working with Amazon in the spring of 2021, supporting their new facility at University Park. We leveraged our network of community-based organizations (CBO) to connect Amazon with Warehouse Associate candidates in the Southland.

In the summer, we grew our partnership to support the launches of Amazon’s new fulfillment centers in Markham and Matteson, in South Suburban Cook County. The sites opened in October, but the Skills team was hard at work since August promoting opportunities in the area to community partners and job seekers.

In the first year, our work with Amazon has grown to include recruitment marketing and community outreach to help fill Warehouse Associate and Workforce Staffing roles across Chicago and the suburbs.

Learn More

Community Partnerships

Our Community & Strategic Partnerships team dedicated their efforts in 2021 to deepening our engagement with our network of local workforce partners and generating more efficient and effective candidate journeys. While our number of referrals decreased year over year, the number of candidates hired increased. We continue to optimize our approach and processes to better support our partner organizations and serve local talent.

2021 Highlights:

YOY increase of 6% in placements despite a decrease in referrals, signaling improved communication of candidate requirements to organizations and job seekers
Submittal-to-hire rates for CBO referrals increased to 40% (from 32% in 2020)
Despite the global pandemic, opened the Englewood office in a hybrid setting
- July Job Fair
- November Hiring Fair
- Community Engagement events with Englewood partners and our employers
- Secured a shared $25,000 investment with two local partners to help close the digital divide in Englewood

: Above and Beyond Arrupe College of Loyola University Association House By the Hand The Boulevard Cara Chicago

Centers for Changing Lives Centers for New Horizons Chicago Scholars Chicago State University DuPage Pads Free Lunch

Greater West Town Project Greater Englewood CDC Growing Home, Inc. Heartland Alliance Housing Forward Housing Opportunities for Women

IDHS Instituto del Progreso Latino La Casa Norte Lift Lyte Collective MAAFA Redemption Project

Mercy Home Mercy Housing Metropolitan Family Services Moraine Valley Community College My Block, My Hood, My City National Louis University

New Life Covenant Noble Network North Lawndale College Prep North Lawndale Employment Network Of Color INC. One on One

POAH Phalanx Family Services Roosevelt University St. Augustine St. Sabina ERC The Community Builders

UCAN Urban Alliance Youth Guidance YWCA

Our Focus on DEI

In 2021, we moved from an inherent to an intentional approach to diversity, equity & inclusion at Skills, making a concerted effort to weave DEI into three main pillars: the quality and diversity of jobs we offer candidates, how we communicate our work internally and externally, and making space for our team to bring their full selves to work.

Job Quality

Workstream developed as part of our Strategic Plan
Intentional work with employers to support emerging DEI practices
Focusing on employers that have an explicit position related to DEI and are showing positive movement

Our Platform

Engaged Rudd Resources in a new messaging framework to be more mindful of how we express ourselves to different audiences and welcome diverse voices
Launched a new website that leveraged a refreshed organizational voice, more images of the communities we serve, and content with a focus on culture and service

Voices of Our Staff

Hosted 19 staff-led cultural & historical events across 17 cultural days and months
Hosted three all-staff workshops on race, ethnicity & bias led by Dr. Joseph Flynn
Partnered with community stakeholders on events
Facilitated safe spaces for staff discussion through focus groups
Increased staff engagement and support for VOS subcommittees

Our Strategic Plan

Our North Star: To increase the economic mobility of under- and unemployed talent by connecting them to quality jobs through our deep partnership and understanding of the unique human capital needs of our network of engaged employers.

Over the next three years, we've committed to scaling our demand-driven programs, diversifying job types, and driving innovation—with the end goal of placing 4,500 unemployed and underemployed candidates into roles that drive their career growth and financial opportunity.

Scale demand-driven programs focused on placing unemployed South and West Side talent into jobs.

70% growth: from 1,000 to 1,700 yearly job placements

South & West Side pledge: impact 75%+ job seekers from these historically underserved neighborhoods via three office locations

Reaffirm our commitment: with 92% BIPOC placements (up from 90%)

: Scale demand-driven programs focused on placing unemployed South and West Side talent into jobs.

70% growth: from 1,000 to 1,700 yearly job placements

South & West Side pledge: impact 75%+ job seekers from these historically underserved neighborhoods via three office locations

Reaffirm our commitment: with 92% BIPOC placements (up from 90%)
: Intentionally diversify job types & business clients, and expand career pathways.

Career potential: expand on best-in-class entry-level roles with career pathway opportunities

Increase opportunities: continue expansion into middle-skill & middle-income opportunities

DE&I: increase partnerships with companies demonstrating a commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion

Educate & advocate: counsel hiring partners on qualifying vs. disqualifying local talent

Grow our Neighborhood Impact Consulting services to help companies expand or relocate their operations
: Drive innovation of services by formalizing an R&D and data insights function

Build a hub: centralize approaches and processes in an innovation hub

Innovative Programming: research and develop cutting-edge programming

Continuous learning: publish data insights and conduct evaluations

Workforce Policy & Advocacy: to employer partners and government

Thought Partnership & Leadership: collaborate with CBOs and provide subject matter expertise

Celebrating Our Impact

On October 5^th, 2021, we hosted our seventh annual Employment Champions Breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Once again in person with over 300 guests, we honored our partners, heard from industry thought leaders, and cheered on the hard work of our job seekers.

Experience the event by watching the full recording of the morning’s festivities.

2021 Employment Champions Breakfast Awardees

Champion for the Unemployed

Advocate for the Unemployed

Champion for Community Impact

Shining bright in Chatham

Brock is a native South Sider hailing from Auburn Gresham—just a short distance from Discover’s brand-new customer care center in Chatham. After two years away at college, Brock came home after his grandmother passed away. He needed a job with economic and career mobility.

A former coworker told him about new jobs at Discover. “It sounded great, but was it real? Full-time, well-paying jobs in Chatham? Typically, jobs like that are in the Loop or the suburbs, not on the South Side. But this was different.”

Since joining Discover, Brock can see his future opening up, with opportunities to become a team lead, a manager, and then learning all aspects of the business. He can picture going back to school and finishing his degree. “Then owning my own business so I can bring more jobs to my community, and with them, generational wealth to Chicago’s Black families.”

“Thank you Discover for seeing the value in me and Chatham.”

Read his Success Story

At the Forefront in Hyde Park

Loretta was tired of living paycheck to paycheck as a retirement home aide.

After years of applying to jobs, never receiving a response, a work errand at UChicago Medicine led a colleague to tell her about Skills. Working with our team, Loretta joined UCM as a Patient Transport Specialist.

“It was such a blessing to get that big break. With my foot in the door, I was determined to take every opportunity to continue moving up. When I learned about UCM’s Career Pathway program, I immediately jumped at the chance.”

After earning her Patient Care Tech license, Loretta is now a full-time nursing support assistant. Thanks to Skills and UCM, she has the financial security to provide for her three sons: she’s a first-time home-buyer and even bought her first-ever brand-new car!

Read her Success Story

Closing the Opportunity Gap

Dr. Annelies Goger is the David M. Rubenstein Fellow of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. She's an economic geographer developing innovative policy solutions to address rising inequality and increase economic opportunity.

Her work challenges the dominant "skills gap" narrative, arguing that building stronger education and labor market institutions, and making long-term investments in talent development, are key to addressing racial and gender inequities in the labor market.

The featured speaker at our 7^th Annual Employment Champions Breakfast, Dr. Goger delivered a presentation on "Accelerating the Path to Economic Equity: The Case for Closing the Opportunity Gap" to our 500 live and virtual attendees.

Explore Dr. Goger's work

Premier Sponsors

BDT

Greg and Anna Brown

Chicago Fire

Hyatt

Motorola Solutions

Presenting Sponsors

Advocate Sponsors

Supporter Sponsors

Accenture	AIM Specialty Health	Alight Solutions	Amazon	ARCO/Murray
Ariel Investments	AT&T	BMO Harris Bank	Michelle Carlin	Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
The Chez Family Foundation	CNO Financial Group	Deloitte	DLA Piper	Exelon
Rich Floersch	GoHealth	HUB International	Ingredion	James Hardie
JPMorgan Chase & Co.	McKinsey & Company	MetLife	Midway Partnerships	NorthShore University HealthSystem
Polk Bros. Foundation	Pritzker Traubert Foundation	Rush University Systems for Health	Michael D. Scimo Family	UChicago Medicine & University of Chicago
Walmart

Partner Sponsors

Abbvie	American Airlines	Associated Bank	Boston Consulting Group	CBRE
The Chicago Community Trust	Brian & Mary Faith Cook	Divvy Bikes	Dot Foods	Ferrara Candy Company
Freedman Seating Company	Grainger	David Hiller	Mark & Pam Kendall	Kin + Carta
Korn Ferry	Lenovo	Mondelez International	Northwestern Medicine	ORBA
Perella Weinberg Partners	Shaker Recruitment Marketing	Slayton Search Partners	Sterling Bay	Glenn Tilton
TrueBlue Outsourcing Solutions	Voya Financial	Wanxiang Group	Willis Towers Watson

Impact Beyond Chicago

National Expansion

In August, we announced a $10 million fundraising campaign to support Skills for America’s Future, our national expansion initiative. Our goal is to bring the Skills model to a total of 25 sites in 10 years. Seed funding totaled $1 million, led by a $500,000 investment and a $250,000 matching challenge from Skills Board Chair Mark Hoplamazian and his wife, Rachel Kohler. Other early funders included the Stand Together Foundation, Dennis and Joan Berger, and the Economic Opportunity Challenge.

In November, we held a series of webinars alongside a request for partnerships. Community organizations and employers working across the country joined our virtual sessions to learn about our unique jobs-first approach and the benefits of joining the Skills network.

We received nine RFP submissions, and we’re focused on selecting or launching 4 new Skills sites over the next year. Our team will provide seed grants and staff resources to launch each site and partner with key stakeholders to adapt to the local needs and culture of each workforce ecosystem.

Skills for Rhode Island's Future

A leading resource for Rhode Islander's looking for work, Skills for Rhode Island's Future continues to increase their local impact as they enter their seventh year. Learn more about Skills for Rhode Island's Future.

1647

job seekers placed into roles

177

individuals in Real Jobs RI skills training program

86

individuals completed Ready Set Work program

185

candidates received job coaching

63

candidates served by workAbility program for individuals with disabilities

170

employer partners

Corporate, Foundation & Government Funders

: City of Chicago Department of Family & Support Services

The Community Focus Fund at The Chicago Community Foundation

Google

JPMorgan Chase

Walmart & Walmart Foundation
: Amazon

Anonymous

International Youth Foundation

McCaffery Inc.

McDonald's

Motorola Solutions & Motorola Solutions Foundation

Pritzker Traubert Foundation

Stand Together Foundation

World Business Chicago
: BDT & Company, LLC

BMO Harris Bank

Chicago Fire

Crown Family Philanthropies

Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

Hyatt Hotels

Paul M. Angell Family Foundation

Polk Bros. Foundation

Telligen Community Initiative
: Anonymous

Accenture

Allstate

Aon Hewitt

AT&T

Bank of America Foundation

Cariloop

CDW

Discover

Ernst & Young

Exelon

Finnegan Family Foundation

GCM Grosvenor

HUB International

Jewel-Osco

Latham & Watkins

Margot & Thomas Pritzker Family Foundation

Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation

Rensair

Suffolk

The John & Rita Canning Family Foundation

UL - Underwriters Laboratories

United Way of Metropolitan Chicago

Walgreens
: AIM Specialty Health

Alight Solutions

ARCO/Murray

Ariel Capital Investments

Challenger, Gray, and Christmas

Chez Family Foundation

CNO Financial Group

Deloitte

DLA Piper LLP

The Duchossois Family Foundation

The Edgewater Funds

GoHealth

Health Care Service Corporation

HMS Host Incorporated

Ingredion Incorporated

ITW Foundation

James Hardie Industries

KPMG

McKinsey & Company, Inc.

MetLife

Morningstar

NorthShore University HealthSystem

PWC

Rush University Medical Center

Russell Reynolds Associates

SupplyHive

UKG

Ulta Beauty

University of Chicago Medicine & University of Chicago

Vantage - Midway Partnerships

Wintrust
: Anonymous

AbbVie

American Airlines

Associated Bank

Boston Consulting Group

CBRE

Divvy (Motivate)

Dot Foods

Ferrara Candy Company

Huntington National Bank

Kin + Carta

Korn Ferry

Lenovo

Mondelez International, Inc.

Northwestern Memorial HealthCare

Perella Weinberg Partners

Shaker Recruitment Marketing

Slayton Search Partners

Sterling Bay

TrueBlue

Voya Financial

W.W. Grainger, Inc.

Wanxiang America Real Estate

Willis Towers Watson
: Keystone Partners LLC

Lockton

Manulife Investment Management

ORBA

Protiviti

The Executives Club of Chicago

University of Chicago

Unum

Wiley Education Services

Individual Donors

: Mark Hoplamazian & Rachel Kohler
: Anonymous

Dennis Berger

Rich Floersch

Joe Pomerenke

Nazneen Razi

Mike Scimo

Kathleen Wilson-Thompson
: Amy Best

Hillary Bochniak

William Broderick

Joshua Chernoff

Gillian Darlow

Jack Delaney

Mary Dillon

Derek Douglas

Dawn Franke

Craig Freedman

Peter Herlihy

Joseph High

Gregory Horejs

William Krol

Elliot J Mata

John McGaw

Jason McLaughlin

Michael Meek

Eileen Mitchell

Malaika Myers

Chris Niedhammer

Linda Stephans

Michelle Warner
: Lee Addams

Tinisha Agramonte

Colin Alesse

Michael Antonio

Ammar Bahrani

Nikki Barrett

B. John Bisio

Margaret Blyth

Aaron Bresinger

Carson Bricco

Jill Brown

Frank Burke

Ann Burke

Kathleen Caliento

Kathleen Carroll

Geetika Casmon

Daniel Cervantes

Michael Chiapetta

Kyle Clauss

Tabatha Cobb

Julia Davis

Laura Dunn

Susan Dunseth

Erica Eakins

Olivia Eveslage

Brian Fabes

Alicia Farley

Alison Gaw

Dena Giacometti

Kevin Golden

Maria Holmes

Margaret Hunn

Hannah Karzmer

Jonathan Kendall

Chris Kutsor

Nishanth Lavendra

Erin Mandel

Molly McCabe

Sean McCauley

Carter McHugh

Joseph Moawad

Brian Montgomery

Rachel Morgan

Kristin Mustari

Barbara Obregon

Andrea Palombit

Keisha Parker

Emily Pevnick

Monique Pinnock

Kirsten Powers

Angel Rodriguez

Scott Rogers

Lou Sandoval

Claudia Saran

Peter Sears

Joseph J. Shannon III

Eric Sheinkop

Ayom Siengo

Dan Smith-Cohen

Dan Spillane

Kristen Storey

Erica Tarantur

Yusuf Tayob

Christine Terborg

Jaclyn M. Trovato

Pamela Tully

Marc Ugol

Susan Wilson

Kinsey Wolf

Mona Yaeger

: Mike and Cindy Bonds

Greg Q. Brown

Mark Kendall & Pam Kendall
: Dick Arnoldy

Patrick Beharelle

Jeffrey Bilek

Carolyn Booth

Heidi Capozzi

Michele Carlin

John Challenger

Jeff Childs

Jeffrey Cook

Brian and Mary Faith Cook

Chris Corley

Andy Eichfeld & Nancy Crowe

Brad and Bryn Dannegger

Bevin Desmond

Melissa Donaldson

Yvonne Franzese

Mark Hacker

David Hiller

Elizabeth Hofstetter

Seema Kathuria

Sudi Bjornstad Korba

Hillary Leisten

Bill Luehrs

Marie & John Lynch

Kelly Manthey

Jordan and Leonidas Stellakis

Eric Stevenson

Glenn Tilton

Manika Turnbull

Keith Wyche
: Ray Anderson

Daniel Argueta

Michael Botos

Jaimy Chadam

Margaret Egan

Geoff Ellis

Jeffrey Ficks

Cristen Forrester

Colm Hannon

Roger Hochschild

Arthur James

Matt Johanson

Don Johnson

Dan Joo

Khalid Khan

Katherine Kohatsu

Sholape Kolawole

Gregory Kucaj

Christopher Laux

Jennifer Limbocker

Bill Malczyk

Paul McDonough

Robert McGinnis

Gaston Messineo

Vaishak Mittur

Chris Myers

Saumil Parikh

Jennifer Pitts

Sridhar Prabhakaran

Elliot Rogers

Pari Sahai

Nihar Satapathy

Joseph Shannon IV

Matthew Shumacher

Samuel Shor

Evan Sussholz

Jonathan T. Swain

Rocco Tarasi

Chris Windfelder

Hye Yu

Matthew Zimpfer
: Raheela Anwar

Henry Atkeson

Rabia Baig

Angela Bailey

Patricia Bandle

Shannon Bennett

Joseph Blasko

Jennifer Bloomquist

Allison Brigden

Tiffany Bush

Eric Charlson

Jacquelyn Christensen

Norman Clark

Kelley Clark

Michael Cohen

Amy Dordek Dolinsky

Shawn Domark

Ian Eickhoff

Fred Fedewa

MJ Forbes

Susan Freeman

Ugina Gardner

Adam Gay

David Gianfransesco

Annelies Goger

M.E. Granger

Reem Hanna

Elisia Harder

Andrew Hartman

Regina Hermann

Anthony Hernandez

Ruth Horbaczewski

Rebecca Hoving

Shammara Howell

Peter Hu

Kevin Irvine

Nicola Jacobs

Chirag Jatwani

Adel Johnson

Julie Katigan

Sang Kim

Kimberly Kocur

Tejus Kothari

NorahLarke

Jacob Letwat

Jenny Liechti

Lisa Maleck

Sandy Marek

Samir Mayekar

Rob McCloskey

Rob Morgan

Elizabeth Morrison

Mallory Moss

Michelle Newell

Kellie O'Connell

Vrajesh Parikh

Latonia Pearson

Elizabeth Rahill

Cynthia Risk

Tatiana Rivera

Eduardo Rocha

Eric Rozenzweig

Mark Sanders II

Maya Sanders

Michael Sawula

Brendan Scott

Ronald Seymore

Kate Hermann Stone

Jackie Synder

Judson Synder

Joyce Trzupek

Megan Van Poucke

Holli Wertheimer

Matthew Whitler

Eric Whobrey

D'Juan Wilcher

Julie Womack

Doris Young

Our Board of Directors

: Mark S. Hoplamazian, Chair

President & Chief Executive Officer
Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Elizabeth Hofstetter, Vice Chair

Human Resources Business Partner Executive
JPMorgan Chase

Mike Bonds, Treasurer

Former Executive Vice President
Retired from United Airlines

Marie Trzupek Lynch, President & CEO

Skills for Chicagoland's Future

Elizabeth Adefioye

Former Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer
Ingredion

Patrick Beharelle

President & Chief Executive Officer
TrueBlue Outsourcing Solutions

Dennis Berger

Chief Culture Officer
Suffolk

Amy E. Best

SVP & Chief Human Resources Officer
Exelon Corporation

Jeff Bilek

Partner, Central Talent Leader
EY

Hillary Bochniak

Managing Director, Human Resources
Accenture

Carolyn Booth

Head of Distribution, US Personal & Business Banking
BMO Harris Bank

Heidi Capozzi

EVP, Global Chief People Officer
McDonald's

John Challenger

Chief Executive Officer
Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

Jeff Childs

Chief Human Resources Officer
Ulta Beauty

Christina Corley

Chief Commercial & Operating Officer
CDW

Gillian Darlow

Chief Executive Officer
Polk Bros. Foundation

Marcos DeLeon

SVP/Chief Human Resources Officer
Rush University System for Health

Bevin Desmond

Head of Talent & Culture
HR Policy Association

Yvonne Franzese

Chief Human Resources Officer
CNO Financial Group, Inc.

Craig Freedman

Chief Executive Officer
Freedman Seating Co.

Mark Hacker

EVP, General Counsel & Chief Administrative Officer
Motorola Solutions

Seema Kathuria

Managing Director
Russell Reynolds

Mark Kendall

Executive Vice President
HUB International

Sudi Bjornstad Korba

Vice President of Sales
Ultimate Software

Hillary Leisten

Chief Human Resources Officer
Walgreens

Dennis Berger

Chief Culture Officer
Suffolk

William Luehrs

Former Chief Human Resources Officer
Retired from NorthShore University HealthSystem

Kelly Manthey

Group Chief Executive
Kin + Carta Americas

Eileen Mitchell

President of AT&T Illinois
AT&T

Malaika Myers

Chief Human Resources Officer
Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Sammy Patel

Vice President, Commercial
Vantage Airport Group;
CEO of Midway Partnership

Rob Ritchie

Regional President—Mexico, U.S./Canada Sweetener Solutions, Industrial Solutions & Kerr Concentrates
Ingredion

Claudia Saran

Vice Chair of Culture
KPMG, LLP

Mike Scimo

Former Managing Director
Retired from Accenture

Eric Stevenson

Vice President, Human Resources
Jewel-Osco

Manika Turnbull, Ph.D.

SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer
Health Care Services Corporation

Keith Wyche

Vice President, Community Engagement & Support
Walmart

Kenyatta Young

HR Business Partner
Facebook

2021 Financials

* Public funding includes federal COVID relief

impact-report-2021-expenses

impact-report-2021-revenue

Above and Beyond	Arrupe College of Loyola University	Association House	By the Hand	The Boulevard	Cara Chicago
Centers for Changing Lives	Centers for New Horizons	Chicago Scholars	Chicago State University	DuPage Pads	Free Lunch
Greater West Town Project	Greater Englewood CDC	Growing Home, Inc.	Heartland Alliance	Housing Forward	Housing Opportunities for Women
IDHS	Instituto del Progreso Latino	La Casa Norte	Lift	Lyte Collective	MAAFA Redemption Project
Mercy Home	Mercy Housing	Metropolitan Family Services	Moraine Valley Community College	My Block, My Hood, My City	National Louis University
New Life Covenant	Noble Network	North Lawndale College Prep	North Lawndale Employment Network	Of Color INC.	One on One
POAH	Phalanx Family Services	Roosevelt University	St. Augustine	St. Sabina ERC	The Community Builders
UCAN	Urban Alliance	Youth Guidance	YWCA

2021 Impact Report:

Toward an Inclusive Recovery

How We Work

The War for Talent

2021 Placements

1,185

74%

42%

26 & 29

47%

80%

12%

96%

Industry Insights

39%

21%

16%

10%

9%

3%

Our Work in Action

Customer Service & Finance Job Fair

Retail Hiring Fair

South Side Job Fair

Delivering More than a Job

Career Navigator

College to Career

Jobs 101

Pivot to Success

Going Local

55%

21%

Top Placement Neighborhoods

Candidate Success Stories

Malaya L.

Teller, BMO Harris Bank

Eduardo N.

Store Manager Trainee, Jewel-Osco

Theodore B.

Associate Banker, Chase Bank

James C.

Referral Specialist, AIM Specialty Health

Increase N.

Nurse Support Assistant, UChicago Medicine

Brendan C.

Employer Spotlights

Our 2021 Employer Network

Neighborhood Impact Consulting

Community Partnerships

2021 Highlights:

Our Focus on DEI

Job Quality

Our Platform

Voices of Our Staff

Our Strategic Plan

Scale demand-driven programs focused on placing unemployed South and West Side talent into jobs.

Intentionally diversify job types & business clients, and expand career pathways.

Drive innovation of services by formalizing an R&D and data insights function

Scale demand-driven programs focused on placing unemployed South and West Side talent into jobs.

Intentionally diversify job types & business clients, and expand career pathways.

Drive innovation of services by formalizing an R&D and data insights function

Celebrating Our Impact

2021 Employment Champions Breakfast Awardees

Champion for the Unemployed

Advocate for the Unemployed

Champion for Community Impact

Shining bright in Chatham

At the Forefront in Hyde Park

Closing the Opportunity Gap

Premier Sponsors

Presenting Sponsors

Advocate Sponsors

Supporter Sponsors

Partner Sponsors

Impact Beyond Chicago

National Expansion

Skills for Rhode Island's Future

1647

177

86