Cook County launches jobs training, placement program for suburbs as stricter COVID-19 measures go into effect
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The day stricter state-imposed coronavirus restrictions took hold in suburban Cook County, officials announced a jobs program funded by $4 million in federal stimulus money to train and employ residents who are out of work due to the pandemic.
Run with the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, the program made possible by Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act money will funnel grants toward seven workforce agencies in the suburbs, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Wednesday. Participants can take part in job placement, career coaching and skills training on job hunting and interview preparation.
“This assistance is coming at a critical time in the U.S. employment market,” Preckwinkle said at a North Riverside news conference. “COVID-19 has forced many local businesses to adapt to unprecedented circumstances. As restrictions go into effect, and we know that more restrictions are going into effect ..., we will see more restaurant workers and hospitality industry professionals experience a decline in service, reduction of hours for employees, and in some cases closures.”
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday announced he was imposing stricter measures on suburban Cook County starting Wednesday to curb the latest coronavirus surge that has struck the region with rising test positivity and hospital admission numbers, leaving many small business owners crestfallen over the prospects of their financial survival. The next day, Pritzker announced the same restrictions on Chicago despite alarm from Mayor Lori Lightfoot that a ban on indoor dining would cripple the restaurant and bar industry.
With no second federal stimulus bill coming soon, Cook County has rolled out a flurry of relief programs using CARES Act money over the past month. And the demand likely will exceed the available funds — a $2.1 million direct cash assistance program that aims to serve about 3,000 residents already received more than 14,000 applications since its Monday unveiling, Preckwinkle said Wednesday.
Cook County officials pledged that they will offer more help as the need continues. The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership in charge of the jobs program received a flood of notices from businesses who have had to curtail their workforce in March, said CEO Karin Norington-Reaves, and their situations have remained grim.
“In March, those layoffs were anticipated to be temporary,” Norington-Reaves said. “By the fall, many had become permanent. In short, these are grave times.”
Suburban residents can apply for the jobs program at https://chicookworks.org/initiatives/covid-19-workforce-development-related-information/. In addition to job matching and training, the program will pay for retraining current employees to avoid layoffs, launching a pilot program to give consulting services to small and mid-sized manufacturers who have been hurt by COVID-19 1/4 u2032s financial impact and other resources for employers who are struggling.
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