Chicago Jobs Council

In 2011, the Chicago Jobs Council celebrated its thirtieth anniversary. This brief video highlights some of the accomplishments they've achieved in assisting unemployed people with access to job training programs and education they need in order to find jobs. Various council board members and participants in job training programs share their experiences within the organization from its formation to its goals for the future.

00:00Copy video clip URL Animated introduction credits

00:12Copy video clip URL Intro montage of people discussing the importance of work as a part of one’s identity and livelihood.

00:58Copy video clip URL Title card “Chicago Jobs Council: Unifying Voices for 30 Years” 

1:07Copy video clip URL Robert E. Wordlaw, executive director of the Chicago Jobs Council (CJC), discusses CJC’s mission to ensure unemployed people have access to the education and training they need to move out of poverty. Followed by Spruiell Weber White (former executive director of CJC), Edith Crigler (CJC’s board president), and Anne Ladky (CJC’s board emeritus) explaining the formation of the council. 

02:29Copy video clip URL Wordlaw and Andre Kellum (program director of Workforce Development Centers for New Horizons) discuss creating workforce change through administrative methods. Ladky talks about advocating for women in the workforce, followed by Crigler highlighting the diverse membership of the CJC and its training programs. 

04:00Copy video clip URL Highlights are shown from CJC’s monthly working group meetings where members decide issues to respond to. Kellum recalls being in a working group and bringing up the fact that there was no real job developer training that existed for people at the time. 

04:55Copy video clip URL Title card “Frontline Focus: The Chicago Jobs Council Training Institute”. Followed by montage of photos from classes held under the Frontline Focus Training Institute. 

05:27Copy video clip URL Ladky talks about the importance of having an optimistic outlook as an advocate and organizer. She also discusses the troubles in the economy at the time for people at the lowest end of the workforce. Participants at CJC Charles Young, Dianne Barber, and Julie Kornick-Cooper talk about the negative effects of the economy on their personal search for work and how being unemployed has effected the state of their wellbeing. 

06:58Copy video clip URL Crigler, Wordlaw, White, and John Plunkett (CJC board member) talk about the positive growth of the CJC and its successes. Followed by participants discussing what they’ve gained from the job programs at CJC. 

09:37Copy video clip URL Crigler shares her hopes for the future of the CJC and the importance of maintaining connection with the people the CJC advocates for. 

10:13Copy video clip URL End