Although the current US Jobless rate is 3.7%, unemployment does not affect each demographic group and region equally. Nationally, marginalized communities experience higher unemployment and less access to quality jobs – resulting in higher poverty and less economic mobility. Job seekers often struggle in part-time positions when they would prefer full-time work. Eliminating this access gap is the catalyst for the development and expansion of the Skills Model.
Using an independently evaluated model launched in Chicago and successfully replicated in Rhode Island, Skills for America’s Future’s (Skills) demand-driven approach successfully connects those most impacted by unemployment and poverty, with jobs.
THE SKILLS MODEL
Demand-Driven
The Skills model uses a demand-driven or jobs-first approach, starting by first engaging in a consultative relationship with businesses that have unmet hiring needs. Unemployed job seekers are then sourced and screened directly into jobs or facilitated into train-to-hire career programs. This job-first method produces proven impact for unemployed job seekers, the communities they reside in, and the businesses they become employed at.
The Model in Action
Skills for Chicagoland's Future has been operating the Skills Model since 2012, consistently growing in scale and impact every year since. Skills for Chicagoland's Future currently places over 100 individuals into jobs on a monthly basis with a diverse set of employers across all industries. In 2016, Skills for Rhode Island's Future became the first site to replicate the Skills Model outside of Chicago. Skills for Rhode Island's Future plays a vital role in Rhode Island's workforce system and the lives of its unemployed residents.
DOES YOUR CITY OR REGION NEED THE SKILLS MODEL?
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LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TWO SKILLS SITES IN ACTION
Announcement
In May 2016, The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program announced that Skills for America's Future will now be led by Skills for Chicagoland's Future. This site will provide updates on demand-driven work across the US and expansion of the model. We hope you are excited for this next generation of Skills for America's Future! Sign up to stay connected and learn more.
“We are thrilled to relaunch Skills for America’s Future and expand our model nationwide beyond Chicago and Rhode Island. Through expansion of the model and thought leadership in the space of demand-driven work, Skills for America’s Future will continue to focus on meeting employers’ talent and skill needs and creating economic mobility for the unemployed and underemployed in regions across the United States. We are grateful for Skills for America’s Future’s leadership, funding, partnership and support of Skills for Chicagoland’s Future as an innovative leader and driver of systemic change.”
- Marie Trzupek Lynch, President & CEO of Skills for Chicagoland's Future