"Corporate Tuition Aid Seems to Keep Workers Loyal"- This item, written by Erin White of the Wall Street Journal, emphasizes the value of corporate tuition-assistance programs in retaining employees. The article highlights research findings that support the contention and features organizations that have tuition-assistance programs as well.
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"The World is Flat" - Book Review from WFC2.0 Volume II Newsletter – By, Jessica Abell. During his travels around the globe, Thomas Friedman began noticing something odd; global connections between corporations, individuals and governments had shifted from the traditional relationships among top officials and senior leaders to partnerships among middle tier organizations, small businesses and NGO’s. This ‘flattening’ of the business playing field is enabled by what Friedman calls the “Ten Flatteners.” The transformations happening are the result of these flatteners coming together into one or more of many possible “Triple Convergences.”
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"The End of Upward Mobility? Not on Your Life" - by Michael J. Mandel
Phyllis Snyder, Vice President of CAEL, and Diana Bamford-Rees, Associate Vice President of CAEL, are both quoted in this article, which discusses how there are actually plenty of opportunities for upward mobility still available to the U.S. workforce. Both Phyllis and Diana detailed the Nursing Career Lattice program’s role in contributing to upward mobility for workers in various sites across the United States. This article can be found in the June 20, 2005 issue of Business Week magazine. It is available on Business Week’s website if you are a registered Business Week subscriber.
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Do People=Profits?
Book Review: Destination Profit: Creating People-Profit Opportunities in Your Organization - by Scott Cawood and Rita V. Bailey (2006)

The overarching theme of Destination Profit aligns with a main WorkforceChicago2.0 message: Investing in its people is the smartest business decision any organization can make.  Both Scott Cawood and Rita Bailey have worked at companies recognized for their unique relationships with their employees.  Before starting his own consulting firm, ModernThink, Cawood served as Vice President of the Great Places to Work Institute and was a senior executive at both Revlon, and W.L. Gore & Associates.  Before Bailey founded QVC Partners, her own consulting firm, she held multiple high-level positions at Southwest for twenty-five years.  Both authors use their veteran business perspectives and sensitivity to organizational culture to guide us through seven identified pathways to profitability. 

“It’s not only about being profitable, but also about doing the right thing, because we find that doing the right thing is an excellent source of pride and connection to business growth and, ultimately, profit”( 33).
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CEO Interview with Jack Rooney, President and CEO, U.S. Cellular - WorkforceChicago2.0’s Exemplary Practice #1 states that, “the CEO and senior management are the driving forces in elevating the importance of learning and development.”  In August, Michelle Sanford, Director of WorkforceChicago2.0 sat down with Jack Rooney, President & CEO of U.S. Cellular to discuss why he feels this practice is vital.  Jack explains his role in promoting learning and development at U.S. Cellular, as well as in the Chicago region at large, as the new Business Leadership Group Co-Chair. 

“Learning is not only what we go through in the classroom; learning, but is also what we do on the job.  So every day our leaders have to be out there teaching.”
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Interview with Sylvia Manning, Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Raymond F. McCaskey, President and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, on the Higher Education – Business Leader Forum - On April 26, WorkforceChicago2.0 launched the Higher Education–Business Leaders’ Forum at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The Forum works to forge stronger relationships among business and higher education as the Chicago region faces an impending shortage of skilled workers. Leaders in Chicagoland business, higher education, philanthropy, and city government engaged in lively conversation, brainstorming, and high-level decision making regarding the next steps in this innovative program.

In this interview, Sylvia Manning and Raymond F. McCaskey share UIC and BlueCross BlueShield’s experiences with alliances of their highly respected organizations and their perspectives on the intended outcomes of the Higher Education—Business Leaders’ Forum. Additionally, they reveal how interdependent business and education actually are.
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CEO Interview with Timothy J. Reedy, President & CEO of ConferencePlus -In this interview, audio, web, and videoconferencing provider, as well as WorkforceChicago2.0 Business Leadership Group Member, Timothy Reedy shares his thoughts on employee learning and development.

In his own words, Reedy details ConferencePlus’s continued journey along the path of growth and prosperity since receiving the WorkforceChicago2.0 Exemplary Practices Award in 2005. He discusses the rewards and challenges of investing in educational and developmental programs for employees and how the strategic use of technology aids this work.
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CEO Interview with Anne Arvia, President & CEO of ShoreBank - In this interview, Arvia details ShoreBank’s continued journey along the path of growth and prosperity since receiving the WorkforceChicago2.0 Exemplary Practices award in 2004. In her own words, Arvia discusses the rewards and challenges of investing in educational and developmental programs for employees.
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