Search Results for Westside American Job Center

KRA Chicago Customer Cracks Code to New-Career Success!

July 9, 2021 | No Comments

Ida McCarty sold her food-production company in 2019, and hadn’t worked in IT for 16 years, but recently was proud to report, “Because of my…IT knowledge and experience in the food industry, I was hired by Mason Dixon Foods [as the] Director of Product Management, responsible for…IT integration and software design, operations, and production. In 8 months, I went from being laid off due to COVID, to securing fulltime employment in upper management.” Ms. McCarty’s success was made possible through the innovative collaboration of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership; KRA, the Chicago Codes Boot Camp (Chi Codes) Administrator; and Coding
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KRA Monthly Spotlight!

January 31, 2020 | No Comments

KRA Staff Engage in Trauma-Informed Care Training Recently, staff at the KRA Chicago Westside American Job Center (WAJC)— operated for the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership—during Staff Development Day engaged in an “Understanding Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care” training session, created by Kelly Butler, KRA Trainer/Special Projects Coordinator. Ms. Butler facilitated the session through a research-guided PowerPoint video and collaborative opportunities for meaningful discussion. One staff member reflected, “The presentation opened my eyes regarding things to remember when interacting with our customers, and ways we may need to address related situations. The presentation was also a mirror held up in front of my
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KRA Monthly Spotlight!

September 30, 2019 | No Comments

Faith-Based Community Supports Recruitment for Westside-Chicago AJC Hiring Event On Sunday, September 8, 2019, Ron Hearns, KRA Director of Midwest Workforce Operations, and Nichole Morrison, KRA Business Service Consultant, each visited a church on Chicago’s Westside as part of a collaborative workforce-services effort between the Westside Ministerial Alliance (WMA), led by Pastor Vance Henry, the Mayor’s Chief of Faith-Based Initiatives, and 15 local workforce-development network agencies. On behalf of The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (CCWP), funding-partner for the KRA Westside American Job Center (AJC), Ray Bentley, Chief Community Officer, shared the idea of targeting the 5th annual Hospitality Hires Chicago (HHC)
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KRA Co-Hosts “First Interview Event”

February 24, 2023 | No Comments

The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership) Hospitality and Tourism Sector Center, and the Westside American Job Center, operated by KRA, are hosting a First Interview Event on March 1, 2023. The event is being convened on behalf of multiple employer-partners, e.g. Aramark Uniform Services, Bon Appetit Creperie, KRA, Marriott Marquis, Omni Hotel, Park Hyatt, Pyramid Partnership, Quest Foods, Rush Medical College, SMASHotels, and Sugar Rimz. Employers will be interviewing on-site for Accounting, Food & Beverage, Front Office, and General Management; Food Preparation and Service; Sales; and Security positions, ranging from $17-$24 for hourly positions, and up to $72,000 for
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KRA Monthly Spotlight!

December 30, 2022 | No Comments

KRA Chicago WAJC Customer Lands Six-Figure Dream Job Despite the recurring instability of his chosen occupation, a Tool & Die Maker in the Manufacturing Industry, Michael S. (Michael) maintained a 22-year career—until early 2020. “I don’t recall ever being unemployed; it was the first time when the Pandemic hit.” When he applied for unemployment benefits, Michael, 39, learned about the WIOA Program at the KRA Westside American Job Center, operated for the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership. When he enrolled, Mike Wolske (Mike) was assigned as his Career Coach. During one session, they discussed a possible career change—such as IT Network
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KRA Monthly Spotlight!

October 31, 2022 | No Comments

KRA Supports History Making CTA Modernization Project According to a 2020 Cumming Group report, “The Chicago [construction industry] is forecasted to see…growth after a lackluster performance during the 2010s…primarily due to the infrastructure sector, as the city looks to extend and modernize its rail and highway network. As Chicago has long been a hub for the logistics industry, the market is relatively well-positioned to benefit from this shift.” In support of this “shift”, the KRA Chicago-Westside American Job Center (WAJC) operated for The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, hosted an Information Event for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Red and Purple Modernization
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KRA Monthly Spotlight!

September 30, 2022 | No Comments

Programs Create Diverse Events to Celebrate Workforce Development Month In 2005, the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals created Workforce Development Professionals Month, raising awareness about the importance of our industry to a growing national economy. Originally celebrated in May, NAWDP moved the designation to September in 2012. In 2022, a U.S. Senate resolution designated September as Workforce Development Month, recognizing the importance of equipping Americans with the education and training necessary to advance their careers and to contribute to the national economy. KRA Programs across the country honored WDM with activities and events best suited to their operations, and from
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KRA Monthly Spotlight!

June 30, 2022 | No Comments

KRA Partners with Chicago-based Multinational on Critical Hiring Effort Specialists on KRA’s Career and Business Services Teams support area employers in high-demand industries all across the country. For the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, KRA operates the Westside American Job Center, as well as the Chatham Education & Workforce Center on the Southside. Corey Person, KRA Work Based Learning Coordinator, reports, “In 2012, I worked at Mondelēz International as a Job Developer, specializing in OJT placements for Machine Operators. A co-worker, Rita Lopez, and I placed 50+ jobseekers in OJT positions.” Mondelēz posts average annual revenues of $26 billion, with operations
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KRA Monthly Spotlight!

October 31, 2021 | No Comments

KRA Supports South East Collaborative Workforce Development Initiative For the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (Partnership), KRA provides a comprehensive array of career-development services—guidance, education, occupational-skills training, and employment—for the area’s Adult, Dislocated, and Youth jobseekers through the Westside American Job Center and, since August 2020, the Chatham Education and Workforce Center (CEWC) on the Southside. Already struggling economically, first from the impact of the 2007-2009 Recession, and then from the devastating effects of COVID-19, area public- and private-sector leaders realized the need to do more to support the Chatham Community. On the 3rd Thursday of each month, members of the
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KRA Presents Workshops at NAWDP Annual Conference…Again!

May 20, 2019 | No Comments

For 30 years, the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) has supported workforce-services stakeholders to enhance and maintain their skills through continuing education, networking, and sharing ideas and experiences related to new and innovative programs and services. The KRA-NAWDP partnership is a strong and long-standing one—from providing sponsorship, presentations, and video-production services for Conferences, Forums, and Symposia, to supporting KRA staff while they share their expertise as contributors to and/or members of various Board, Committee, and pilot-program activities. KRA sponsored 24 corporate- and program-level staff members to attend the recent 2019 Annual Conference, with three senior-level employees facilitating workshops
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