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>2007 WorkforceChicago2.0 Award Winners Announced: Advocate Health Care and
Deloitte & Touche USA!
WorkforceChicago2.0 is very proud to announce Advocate Health Care and
Deloitte & Touche USA as the winners of the 2007 awards! Both these
organizations have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the learning
and development of their employees, truly understanding the value of investing
in their workforce.
is one of the nation's largest regional health care systems.
Comprised of eight hospitals and over 200 sites of care, Advocate employs
over 24,000 associates region-wide with the goal of providing excellent
patient care. In order to meet as well as exceed the challenging demands
of the healthcare industry, Advocate has developed a more holistic approach
to learning and development for its employees—one that focuses
on the 'whole' person, not just the technical skills required for the
job.
Adding to this the strength of their pooled resources and relationships
with local higher education institutions, Advocate has been able to attract
and retain a skilled workforce that constantly strives to provide the
highest quality of patient care.
is an international firm specializing
in providing advice to some of the world's largest and most successful
companies. With over 37,000 employees worldwide, Deloitte understands
the value that people bring to its organization and takes a business-critical
approach to building the company's intellectual capital through employee
learning and development.
This successful approach has helped Deloitte become a global leader in a variety of constantly evolving practices, such as tax, accounting, consulting, and financial advisory services, among others.
Please to view the 2007 Award Booklet with profiles of this year's winning organizations. >WorkforceChicago2.0
Presents at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting
in Washington D.C.
WorkforceChicago2.0 was invited by Mayor Daley’s
Office to present our exciting initiative to the U.S.
Conference of Mayors (USCM) at their Winter Meeting this
January 24th, in Washington D.C. This invitation allowed
us an opportunity to speak in front of the Committee on
Jobs, Education, and the Workforce —a special group
focused on the workforce competitiveness issues facing
many of our cities today.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the official nonpartisan
organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more.
Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief
elected official, the mayor.
Presenting on behalf of WorkforceChicago2.0 was Pamela
Tate, President and CEO of the Council for Adult and Experiential
Learning (CAEL), the national non-profit that administers
WorkforceChicago2.0. Pamela was joined by Mayor Francis
Slay, the Chair of the Committee on Jobs, Education, to
speak on the success of WorkforceStLouis2.0.
>WorkforceChicago2.0 Exemplary Practices Discussion
Series
WorkforceChicago2.0 presents the Exemplary Practices
Discussion Series, a series of workshops co-hosted by
WorkforceChicago2.0 and a past award winner or current
Business Leadership Group company. This series provides
success stories and concrete strategies for better employee
learning and development.
The list of past Exemplary Practices workshops held include:
- Accenture, “Creating a High-performance
Workforce Through World-class Learning” –
02/15/07
- IBM, "Learn while you work:
Gaining more capability in less time" - 09/19/06
- ConferencePlus, “Meeting the
Challenge to Shape a Culture that Fosters Employee Learning
and Development" - 05/04/06
- ShoreBank, “Are You Getting
Your Money’s Worth?” – 10/26/05
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital, “Are
You Getting the Most Out of Your Learning Investment?”-
05/04/05
New workshops are always being developed, so check back
often to hear about new and interesting topics! To learn
more about the discussion series, click
here.
> WorkforceChicago2.0 Exemplary Practices Award Nomination
Process
The WorkforceChicago2.0 Exemplary Practices Award nominations
have closed. We are now awaiting the Award Event in June
for the announcement of the winners. For more information
on the awards nomination process, click here to see detailed
information about the selection process, judging criteria,
and benefits of being an award-winning organization.
> Higher Education— Business Leaders
Forum: Innovative Initiative Launched Spring of 2006
On April 26, 2006, WorkforceChicago2.0 convened its first
Higher Education–Business Leaders Forum. The purpose
of the Forum was to forge stronger relationships among
business and higher education as the Chicago region faces
a growing need to support and reskill its current workforce.
Leaders from colleges and universities, business and industry,
and civic initiatives all attended this first-ever event
at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. By creating cross-sector
collaboration for educating the region’s working
adults, the probability for the region’s economic
success is greatly enhanced.
The Forum was not a one-time event but the beginning of
an initiative that will work to improve the collaboration
between and among business and higher education in building
a stronger workforce for the Chicago region. WorkforceChicago2.0
is working to continue this work and will announce next
steps shortly. Regional university presidents and chancellors,
corporate CEO’ s and executives, and CAEL experts
in learner services and workforce development are guiding
the further development of this forum.
From CAEL’s research and nationally-implemented
programs, two important conclusions have emerged:
- The Chicago region needs greater collaboration between higher education institutions and business to meet the human resource needs of the area.
- Public policies in Illinois should be more supportive of adult learning and workforce development—both from the perspective of employers and from the perspective of higher education.
The goals of the Higher Education-Business Leaders Forum are:
- To forge effective and innovative collaborations between business and higher education, and
- To foster dialogue about common issues in employee learning
> Crain’s Prints Ads for WorkforceChicago2.0
WorkforceChicago2.0 gratefully acknowledges Crain’s Chicago Business magazine for three print advertisements in late May and early June 2005. WorkforceChicago2.0 also thanks Downtown Partners Chicago for donating creative and design time to conceptualize and produce the ads. The ads will be used in continued promotional efforts.
 Crain's Chicago Business ads:
> Outreach throughout the Chicagoland Region
Over the last five years, WorkforceChicago2.0 has
- Disseminated thousands of copies of exemplary practice case studies,
- Reached over 500 companies through speeches, presentations and forums,
- Made presentations to over 30 companies and organizations.
This focus on regional education regarding workforce development issues is a crucial part of the WorkforceChicago2.0 mission.
> WorkforcePhiladelphia2.0 & WorkforceStLouis2.0 Successfully
Modeled After WorkforceChicago2.0
Funded by a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation,
WorkforcePhiladelphia2.0
was launched in 2004. Based upon the WorkforceChicago2.0
model, members of the Philadelphia region Business Leadership
Group (BLG) have introduced the introduction of the nominations
survey and recognition event of companies with exemplary
learning practices. The initiative is driven by the efforts
of Phyllis Snyder, Vice President of CAEL.
Funded by a grant from the State of Missouri’s Department
of Economic Development, WorkforceStLouis2.0 also successfully
launched in 2005. Blair Forlaw is the Director of WorkforceStLouis2.0
and through her efforts, energy and excitement the initiative
has grown and is positively impacting the region.
> WorkforceChicago2.0 Recognized for Impact on Regional Workforce Development
WorkforceChicago2.0 has been featured in several highly visible forums. Michael Moskow, CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, highlighted WorkforceChicago2.0 and learning and development as keys to a successful economic recovery in his “State of the Economy Address” hosted by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and WBBM Radio.
“Training the Next Generation of Workers: The Win-Win of Workforce Partners,” a journalist roundtable audio conference, highlighted WorkforceChicago2.0. Presenters discussed the ways WorkforceChicago2.0 helps companies implement strategic learning initiatives to close development gaps and build regional commitment to workforce development.
A WorkforceChicago2.0 exhibit display booth (donated by BLG member Jim Cabrera, President & CEO of United Building Maintenance) has been featured at various venues, including:
- The Chicago Minority Business Development Council, Business Opportunity Fair
- The Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce Business Expo
- Latino Business Opportunity Conference
- Industrial Manufacturing Technology Show
> WorkforceChicago2.0 Begins Communications Work with GolinHarris
WorkforceChicago2.0 recently began a rigorous process with Insidedge, a consulting group at GolinHarris, to re-think our communications methods, messages, and vehicles. GolinHarris is generously providing this work pro-bono. This process, was presented to our Business Leadership Group at our annual meeting in November. Members provided input and support as we moved forward with a new way of communicating our work. As Workforce2.0 grows, both in Chicago and in other regions, it is an important time to revisit the most effective way to reach the widest audience.
During the first stages in July 2006we launched a communications
audit in which over 130 WorkforceChicago2.0 stakeholders
were surveyed with questions about our current communications
practices. The results of the survey were analyzed by
Insidedge. One of the themes that emerged was the idea
of maintaining both “high tech and high touch”
styles of communication. In August, a small group of marketing
and human resources professionals took part in an “ideation”
session—similar to a brainstorming session—
to openly discuss the communications and branding needs
of the initiative. Among the needs identified was
increased momentum and visibility. Both the survey and
ideation session provided WorkforceChicago2.0 with insightful
ideas and next steps.
Please watch for changes in the months ahead as we begin to implement a new strategy for marketing and communicating our message and mission. If you have any questions or feedback, please let us hear from you. E-mail Michelle Sanford, Director of WorkforceChicago2.0, at msanford@cael.org.
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