ACT Career Connections 2016

Career Connections

May 25, 2016

COMMUNITY COMMITMENT

AUSTIN CAREER CONNECT: LESSONS LEARNED PAGE 3 CREATING PATHWAYS TO A LIVINGWAGE CAREER PAGE 45 | LOCAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: UNCLE REMUS RESTAURANTS PAGE 7

Austin Coming Together

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CAREER CONNECTIONS

Austin Weekly News, May 25, 2016

“Thank You” from Austin Coming Together Erica Swinney, Manufacturing Renaissance Dan Swinney, Manufacturing Renaissance Leslye Long , Manufacturing Renaissance Dee Dee Jones, Manufacturing Renaissance Guy Loudon, Jane Addams Resource Corporation Regan Brewer, Jane Addams Resource Corporation Crystal Hendricks-Kretzer, Jane Addams Resource Corporation Sheryl Morris, Jane Addams Resource Corporation Mannie Rodriguez, Jane Addams Resource Corporation Robert Gorman, The Safer Foundation Isaac Carothers, The Safer Foundation Victor B. Dickson, The Safer Foundation Melanie Garrett, New Moms, Inc. Dana Emanuel, New Moms, Inc. Laura Zumdahl, New Moms, Inc. Bradly Johnson, St. Joseph Services Darryl Jefferson, Westside Health Authority Roger Ehmen, Westside Health Authority Morris Reed, Westside Health Authority Betsy Rubin, Literacy Works Christine Kenny, Literacy Works

Robert White, The Cara Program Sasha Ongtengco, The Cara Program Melanie Hoebbel, The Cara Program Maria Kim, The Cara Program Tasha Levy, I.C. Stars Sandee Kastrul, I.C. Stars Betsy Kelly, Housing Forward John-Paul Paonessa, Freedman Seating Craig Freedman, Freedman Seating Ruth Kimble, Austin Childcare Provider’s Network Margaret Haywood, Inspiration Corporation Deborah E. Bennett, Polk Bros Foundation William Riley, World Business Chicago-1000 Jobs Bailey Warren, World Business Chicago-1000 Jobs Frank Frigo, Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest Ruth McLaren, Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest Christopher Sala, City Colleges of Chicago Julie MacCarthy, City Colleges of Chicago

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CAREER CONNECTIONS

Austin Weekly News, May 25, 2016

3

Austin Career Connect: Lessons Learned

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By Lacey Sikora

or over ten years, the unemployment rate in Austin has remained at over 20% according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Looking to change these statistics, in 2015 Austin Coming Together launched Austin Career Connect, an effort to create pathways to living-wage careers for the under- and unemployed.

Through ACT’s Workforce Collaborative, ACT partners with member organizations to guide under- and unemployed Austin residents to enrollment in high quality job readiness and training programs. ACT continues to work with the member organizations to build their capacity to work with each other in order to improve client outcomes and advocates for better policies to create living wage jobs in Austin for Austin residents.

In the first year of Austin Andrew Born Career Connect, Director of Programs the pilot proDevelopment Austing Coming Together gram focused on training and job opportunities in advanced manufacturing. Kashanna Eiland, Austin Career Connect Project Coordinator, notes that the pilot year concentration on the advanced manufacturing sector was a great way to get the program off the ground, but sees expansion as the key to the future of growing the reach of Austin Career Connect.

“There’s definitely a lot of interest in advanced manufacturing, but we’re also seeing people who are not qualified or interested in manufacturing who might benefit from another path.”

“Manufactuing is a great sector. But, if people are not interested or it’s not accessible to them, we need to start rigorously assessing other sectors.”

Provided photo

Pablo Valera, a Manufacturing Connect instructor at Austin High School, with a group of advanced manufacturing students.

Director of Programs and Development Andrew Born agrees that moving from the manufacturing field into other areas will benefit the people ACT serves.

“We’ve learned that a lot of people have barriers to getting into training programs, but they need jobs now and many of them can’t do a sixteen week to six month training program. Manufacturing is a great sec-

tor: it’s relatively friendly to people with criminal backgrounds and there are a lot of training opportunities. But, if people are not interested in this or it’s not accessible to them, we need to start rigorously assessing other sectors.”

Eiland acts as a liaison between clients seeking training or other employment opportunities and partners providing those

services. She recognizes that other fields in Austin may be presenting growth opportunities. For example, natural areas of expansion include the fields of childcare, hospitality and information technology.

The employers and agencies profiled on the following pages are all working to provide a pathway to a life-long career and building stronger communities in the process.

Looking to start a career? Like working with your hands?

Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC) offers free manufacturing training for eligible candidates in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) and Welding – both offer starting wages between $10-$15/hour.

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Austin Weekly News, May 25, 2016

CAREER CONNECTIONS

Creating Pathways to a Living-Wage Career

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By Lacey Sikora

mbarking on a career can be a daunting path. Where to begin? What kind of career is the right fit? What kind of training do I need? How do I find that training?

How do I find a job after being trained? For many in the Austin neighborhood, finding a career that leads to a living-wage job can seem like an insurmountable task.

The fields of child development and care, hospitality and information technology are areas where people can make a living wage and create a pathway to a career. Three Chicago organizations are helping at-risk populations enter the door and start down the pathway to living wage careers.

Ruth Kimble, President and Founder of the Austin Childcare Provider’s Network, works to provide individuals with the training they need for a career in child development and care. Since 1998, ACPN has been educating and training childcare providers in underserved communities.

ACPN offers accreditation workshops and special events to help childcare providers and their staff insure that their employees are trained in developmentally appropriate childcare.

ACPN is made up of eighty licensed childcare providers and five daycare centers.

ACPN serves four types of childcare providers. In home providers offer state-licensed Courtesy Facebook childcare centers out of a private home. Not-for-profit centers are larger, located in commercial buildings and serve forty or more children.

Franchise organizations, like KinderCare also serve many children out of commercial spaces.

Finally, businesses or corporations may have their own childcare Ruth Kimble centers for employees President and Founder on site.

Kimble notes that of the Austin Childcare with the state of IlliProvider’s Network nois’ current budget crisis, she has their education or further their present business. ACPN seen a shift in the qualifications also has worked with over thirty childcare providers to needed for a career in child devel- place them in college level classes as part of a cohort at a opment and care and says that more training and certifica- local community park district to help these providers earn enough credits to get an Associate’s Degree in Early Childtion is becoming the norm.

“We give centers the help they need to get accredited, and hood Education.

Kimble says that she sees two kinds of people interested we try to get people ready for entry level jobs. For those new to the child development and care field, we provide 120 in the training programs, those who have worked in child hours of professional development training. For people development and care and want to start their own business who have experience but do not have credentials, we steer and those who are in the business and want to move up to them to where they need to be to get those services or help the next level.

“We really see training as the true pathway to a career. We them to get the associates degrees or bachelor degrees necknow there is so much potential with a career as a teacher.” essary to be qualified for the jobs.”

For Margaret Haywood, Director of Workforce DevelopWith the support of HSBC, ACPN developed and implement for the Inspiration Corporation, the future is bright mented a financial literacy training program for thirty of the providers in its network. Through the ten month pro- for those interested in the hospitality industry. “We were gram, providers learned to develop business plans, budget founded in 1989 and focus on two key areas: housing and and foster saving habits that would enable them to continue workforce development. One of our big employment pro-

“We really see training as the true pathway to a career.”

File photo

Valerie Wilmington, the former server at Inspiration Kitchens in East Garfield Park, talks with a patron on one of her last days on the job in December 2015. Wilmington said at the time that she planned on working with a South Side social service organization that serves younger people. grams is in food service.”

Inspiration Corporation owns and operates the Inspiration Kitchens in Garfield Park, a training facility and social enterprise restaurant, where students work shifts at the restaurant, gaining real-life industry skills.

Haywood says the thirteen week training programs are designed to teach participants how to cook and how Courtesy Facebook to find a job in the restaurant industry.

“They learn techniques such as cooking, baking and frying real food with the real pressure of getting it to the customer on time. They have to follow recipes exactly and learn how to do the culinary math necessary to double or triple a recipe. While freedom and creativity in the kitchen might be what attracts people to this kind of job, this is not part of the kitchen here. You follow the recipe and you may not even see the person who is enjoying your food.”

At the end of the training program, participants are provided with job placement assistance, and most are prepared for employment as a line cook or prep cook. Haywood says that approximately 50% of participants in the training program are ex-offenders, so job placement is contingent on finding the right fit for each trainee.

“Some people do better with smaller facilities. More independent operators are willing to give people that second chance. That also benefits our clients. Sometimes, they can learn more if there is a smaller staff. You might be the salad

CAREER CONNECTIONS guy, but if the grill guy is out for the day, you could learn how to do a new skill.”

At the end of the day Haywood thinks that food service is a great pathway to a living wage career.

“This really is still one of those occupations in America where you can live the American dream. You can start as a dishwasher and move up to executive chef without the expense of culinary school. If you’re willing to give your time in the industry, you can get ahead.”

Tasha Levy, Program Director of I.C. Stars, says that Sandee Kustrul and Leslie Beller founded I.C. Stars in 1999 with the mission of identifying, training and jumpstarting technology careers for Chicagoarea low income young adults, who might be lacking access to education and employment but demonstrate extraordinary potential for success in the business world and for impacting their communities for the better.

I.C. Stars runs three, four-month internships in the business and technology fields every year. To get to each class of twenty interns, I.C. Stars evaluates over 500 applications, and Levy says that the resilience to get through the application process itself is one of the requirements for successful interns. The majority of interns are ages eighteen to twenty seven, and the only requirements are that interns have a high school diploma or G.E.D. and at least 780 hours of employment history.

Levy says that the four month program is intense with the idea that it will provide real-world experience to participants. Participants work sixty hour weeks, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Interns work with different corporate sponsors each cycle from Kraft Foods, to law firm Seyfarth and Shaw, to Underwriters Laboratory.

She says that one of the highlights of each day is high tea. “We do actually serve tea at 4 every day, and we also have a pro-

Austin Weekly News, May 25, 2016

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FIle photo

Debra and Levell Baker, who both run Vision Builders Early Childcare Learning Center, interact with the children in their care. the mother-son duo received the ‘unsung hero’ award from the Women’s Business Development Center. fessional come in and talk about what they do in the IT industry. They engage with the interns on another level and open up about their passions and their career paths.”

While increasing the earning potential of participants is a goal, so is the impact they have on their communities after graduat-

ing from the program. According to Levy, twenty to thirty percent of graduates have gone on to become homeowners in the neighborhoods they came from, working every day to be the next generation of leaders for the community.

Provided photo

An industry professional sharing best practices with students during an I.C. Stars training session.

I.C. Stars provides job training and job placement in the field of technology, and Levy stresses that the program’s aim is much higher.

“We are teaching one person, but our hope is that person goes back into their community and makes a change. We’re not just building tech workers, we’re building community. Our mission is to have 1,000 community leaders by 2020.”

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Austin Weekly News, May 25, 2016

CAREER CONNECTIONS

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CAREER CONNECTIONS

Austin Weekly News, May 25, 2016

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Local Business Spotlight:

Uncle Remus Restaurants

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By Lacey Sikora

f you grew up on the West Side of Chicago, oped a following. Rickette credits the popuchances are, you’ve eaten Uncle Remus larity of the food to her focus on serving a saucy fried chicken. The long-time favorite consistent product. She also credits her suchas four locations, but everything started cess with her strong ties to the community.

“The food is what sustains us plus the fact on the West Side almost fifty years ago.

Charmaine Rickette, president of Uncle Re- that we are rooted in the community.” mus Restaurants, recalls the journey begun Rickette has continued her parents’ pracby her parents Gus and Mary. tices of being a resource in the community.

“My parents are from Mississippi, and She hires from within the community and when my dad first came here, says that approximately 75% of he landed on the West Side and her staff are what she calls, “secstayed there. During the civil ond chancers.” Whether they are rights era, they always wanted ex-offenders, recovering addicts, or to be self-employed and create people who have been deemed unjobs. To my dad, owning a busiemployable, Rickette finds a way to ness equaled having status, and give these people a second chance he thought he could help people through job opportunities. along the way.”

“Of those 75%, probably 50% of The Rickettes started out the second chancers end up in mansmall with one store, one fryagement. They started out at one er and one refrigerator and Charmaine Rickette level and ended up doing better and learned the business from the worked their way up. These may not President of Uncle ground up. Calling herself a be the highest paying jobs to start Remus Restaurants second generation restaurant with, but we have a great training baby, Charmaine Rickette has platform, and seeing their peers been running the business for getting promoted, everyone knows twenty five years. that there is a future for them in a stable work “When I took over, there was only one loca- environment.” tion. We currently have four locations. The locaAs she continues to grow the Uncle Remus tion at Central and Madison is our oldest loca- Restaurants brand, Rickette is making sure tion, and it’s a staple in the Austin community. not to stray too far from her West Side home We have the Broadview location, the Walmart in the Austin. location on North Avenue and the East 47th “We have third, and are working on the Street location. We are opening up two more lo- fourth, generation customers. We are very cations later this year. One in Bolingbrook and invested in the community, and we apprecia sixth store in another location.” ate our community. It’s our job and our misA large part of the continued success of the sion to continue this legacy. Being a minority, Uncle Remus brand is the food. Uncle Remus coming from nothing, we’re very proud to do saucy fried chicken has a proprietary sauce this. It’s touchable and accessible to the comand a proprietary breading that has devel- munity.”

“The food is what sustains us plus the fact that we are rooted in the community.”

Courtesy Charmaine Rickette

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CAREER CONNECTIONS

Austin Weekly News, May 25, 2016

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