Director of Workforce Partnerships; College to Careers

Director of Workforce Partnerships (College to Careers)

Wilbur Wright College

City Colleges of Chicago’s, the largest community college system in Illinois, is made up of seven colleges and five satellite sites, providing more than 70,000 students each year access to a quality, affordable education.

College to Careers is an approach for connecting education with workforce needs. It helps ensure students gain the skills, experiences, and credentials employers are looking for while creating a clear path from college to employment.

The Director, Workforce Partnerships, College to Careers supports the Dean and Associate Dean, College to Careers in assuring students secure employment or advance in careers that will make a material economic impact in the life of the student and the future of the city. Responsible for directing outreach and opportunity creation at the College level for a specific Cluster, and for relationship management, relevant correspondence and tracking of progress to assure that programs, partnerships, and strategy align with the shared interests of City Colleges’ students and key regional and national employers.

The position will be held accountable to a set of quantitative and qualitative metrics that align with the Office of Workforce and Economic Development’s strategy.

• Works with Dean and District Office staff to proactively assist in identifying local, regional and national opportunities for creating public/private partnerships to support current and future College to Careers students’ employment and career advancement efforts and training to enable students to secure the jobs of today and the future.
• Participates in comprehensive workforce education partnerships and strategic alliances with businesses by promoting City Colleges’ for credit and non-credit offerings. Manages relationships with non‑profits (e.g., community based organizations, other educational institutions, etc.) and government to support the College to Careers program efforts to secure employment or career advancement for students.
• Researches and analyzes the education, non‑profit, and industry landscapes to identify promising practices or other opportunities for the development and introduction of new programs, or changes to existing programs, to improve outcomes.
• Supports the vision of the College to Careers program impact on regional and national workforce and economic development policy. Supports the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of an integrated and effective workforce and economic development system and articulates City Colleges’ role in a seamless system of workforce and economic development.
• Along with CCC Department of Workforce partners, assists in aligning City Colleges’ workforce and economic development strategy with local, regional and City efforts to assure the best outcomes and assure that City Colleges is a national example of excellence in workforce and economic development, consistent with, or in the creation of, best practices.
• Along with CCC Department of Workforce partners, enhances partnerships with industry, government and community partners to maintain and improve the City Colleges’ position as a significant local resource for state‑of‑the‑art training for businesses in the region.
• Assists CCC Department of Workforce partners in the development of relationships and manages relationships in the implementation of the long range plan and strategy for workforce and economic development for a College to Careers program. Works with CCC Department of Workforce partners to develop and support workforce and economic development policies, procedures and standards and monitors outcomes and drivers of success for students in all workforce, occupational, and economic development programs.
• Monitors and helps develop outcome tracking metrics that confirm the value of programs and partnerships over time to assure that students and partners are achieving the stated goals.
• Identifies potential local, state, and federal funding sources for existing College to Careers programs and new program development and assesses impact and requirements…