Working for Chicago

Impacting economic mobility and improving the quality of life of our job seekers requires an ecosystem of partner organizations collaborating to serve our communities. We work with dozens of local agencies to share resources, host events, and get Chicago back to work.

Join our Community Partner Call!

Every Monday, we bring together local organizations, Skills resources, and hiring partners to share opportunities for your clients.

Upcoming Community Events

Alongside our local partner network, we host a number of events for community based organizations and job seekers, including job fairs, hiring events, and employer spotlights.

Hiring Event Spring Hiring Event March 29, 2023 - 10:00 AM

Details to follow

Investing in Myself

My experience working with Skills was good because not only did I gain a job, but also life skills I can keep applying in multiple areas. I feel that BMO Harris Bank is the place for me because it's helping me open up more. I've actually 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 and what I have going for myself. I feel like I'm completing my life goals.

Mariah C. Customer Experience Representative, BMO Harris Bank Referred to Skills by IDES, Placed Spring 2021

Access More Resources

Browse videos, event listings, and articles from Skills and our network of community partners. Our new resource database provides job seekers with support in the areas of tech readiness, interview prep, housing and food security, and more.

Browse Resources & Submit Your Own

Along with our partners Cara Chicago and Instituto del Progreso Latino, we founded the CBO Collective in 2019.

The Collective exists to provide employers with a central point of access for local talent that face barriers to employment. We formed the CBO Collective to increase employment of Chicago’s South and West Side residents by aligning corporate demand with a collective workforce development approach.

Learn more

43,445

Individuals served by members’ workforce-focused programming

11,260

Individuals placed directly into jobs by CBOC member organizations

FAQs

: Skills is a part of the workforce ecosystem of the Chicagoland area. We stay in close contact with our fellow nonprofit workforce colleagues to provide direct access to current job openings their candiates can take advantage of. Skills is also a member of the CBO Collective, a cooperative group of Chicago's workforce organizations. Additionally, local partners can sign up to receive weekly newsletters and attend meetings. Skills also hosts and attends a variety of job fairs throughout the year, and we invite organizations to share resources about these events. Through our Community Referral program, agencies can collaborate with Skills on our hiring events, employment opportunities and applications, and candidate feedback.
: You can sign up for our weekly call through the prompts at the top or bottom of the page, or you can join our newsletter below. You'll also have the option to sign up for the weekly job seeker newsletter, Hot Jobs.

: Follow the prompt to join our Newsletter, and you'll be connected with Justeen Pelt, Director of Community Partnerships.
: Click the buttons at the top or bottom of this page to register for the weekly call, or join the newsletter below to be connected with Justeen Pelt, Director of Community Partnerships.