Skills For Chicagolands Future

The barriers to economic opportunity and social injustices millions of individuals faced prior to COVID-19 have only been exacerbated by the impact of the pandemic. Since March 2020, millions across the nation have become unemployed and feel helpless with nowhere to turn because they do not have a way to access jobs and companies looking for talent. The Skills jobs-first model was created to address this opportunity gap and the barriers skilled, job-ready individuals face - of no fault of their own - but because they are unemployed, live in a certain area, or have a non-traditional background. The Skills model has eliminated barriers to employment for thousands of people in Chicago and Rhode Island, resulting in employment and access to economic mobility that was previously unattainable. The Skills model is proven to create pathways for economic mobility and can do so in cities and regions nationwide. In 10 years, Skills plans to replicate its model in 25 sites nationally. This will result in 500,000 people directly and indirectly being placed into jobs using a demand-driven model and over $11 billion in economic impact.