Hire Frequency

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 9 th Annual Hospitality Hires Chicago on May 28, 2026, but led...

"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...

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 manufactu...

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...

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 ob...

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...

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...

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, expandin...

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 B...

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...

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 Sta...

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!...

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 de...

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 A...

This episode originally aired on WVON-AM radio and explores youth workforce development programs in Cook County. Host George Wright, CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, is joined by Joshua, a program coordinator for the Partnership's Community Innovations and Impact team. The conversation focuses on two key initiatives: Opportunity Works and Opportunity Summer, which connect young peopl...

This episode originally aired on WVON-AM radio and explores the diverse career opportunities within the healthcare industry. Host George Wright, CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, is joined by a community health worker with the South Side Healthy Community Organization and the Deputy Project Director of the Partnership's Healthcare Sector Center. The conversation dispels common myths a...

This episode originally aired on WVON-AM radio and explores the critical role of construction careers in creating family-sustaining pathways and addressing workforce diversity challenges. Host George Wright, CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, is joined by guest Manny Rodriguez, Executive Director of Revolution Workshop. They discuss how organizations like Revolution Workshop are workin...

This episode originally aired on WVON-AM radio and features a discussion about the groundbreaking partnership between Malcolm X College's Westside Learning Center, KRA, and the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership. Guests David A. Sanders, President of Malcolm X College, Dean Barbara Meschino, and Nieal Ross from KRA Corporation share insights on how this collaboration is transforming lives in Chica...

This episode originally aired on WVON-AM radio and features a discussion about ConstructionWorks, a workforce development program funded by the Illinois Tollway, and administered by The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership. Host and CEO of the Partnership, George Wright, is joined by Cassaundra Rouse, Executive Director of the Illinois Tollway, and Marlene Vick, Acting Chief of Diversity for the Ill...

Host George Wright, CEO of The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, is joined by City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado, as they discuss their intentional partnership to connect the 60,000+ City Colleges students with career opportunities. Discover how this collaboration between the workforce and education systems aims to provide upward mobility and equity for Chicago's students. You'll a...

Join host George Wright, Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, as he discusses the organization's new "Level Up Your Career" and "Power Up Your Business" campaign. Joining the conversation are Vanessa Lopez Jackson, a leader at The Lemon Ad Stand creative agency which developed the gaming-themed campaign aimed at promoting the region's ten American Job Centers. Also fe...

Tune in for a conversation with George Wright, as he reflects on his first 90 days as CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership). George reveals his top goals for The Partnership and discusses the moments that have stood out to him in his first 90 days as CEO. He also shares his personal journey and how the timeless values he learned from his parents inform his leadership appr...

In Cook County more than 520,000 Chicagoland residents report having a disability. The Partnership and Cook County have launched the Cook County Career Pathways Navigator program to support individuals with disabilities and connect them with organizations to help them with their career path. In this episode, we observe Disability Pride Month with a workforce professional, an employer, and an emplo...

Each April, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs celebrates Second Chance Month, which aims to inform and highlight the opportunities for state, local, and tribal governments and community-based service providers to build meaningful second chances for our returning community members.  In this two-part episode, host Avik Das, Executive Director of the Cook County Justice Advi...