Expanding
economic opportunities through community building since 1988.
Mayor
Daley Visits GWTP Training Center; Hails Programs and
Staff
Announces Increased Funding for City Job Training Programs
May
20,
2009
Mayor
Richard M. Daley took the occasion of the release of new
federal job training dollars to visit Greater West Town
and see firsthand how its Community-Business Partnership
model and skill training programs are helping individuals
and their families cope with and get through the recession.
The Mayor praised Greater West Town’s achievements
and track record calling Greater West Town an “asset
for the entire city of Chicago.” Alderman Walter
Burnett, Jr. welcomed the Mayor, other local Alderman,
and City officials to the 27th Ward while expressing his
strong support for GWTP's effective work with local businesses
and job seekers.
The
Mayor joined GWTP’s Executive Director in stressing
the need to increase skill training and supportive services
for Chicago’s unemployed and struggling workers.
Mayor Daley explained that with the new federal funding
the City has just received, Chicago’s workforce
development system will be able to assist 5,000 more
people than last year. And
while both Mr. Leavy and the Mayor acknowledged the challenges
facing those seeking work today, the Mayor affirmed his
commitment to training programs. Mr. Daley underscored
the need to have a ready workforce whenever companies
are hiring, and as job growth rebounds with the expected
economy recovery.
The
Mayor also cited the importance of education to overcome
from the economic downturn and prepare for the future,
and thanked Greater West Town for its highly successful
alternative high school, the West Town Academy. The West
Town Academy is a much-needed program that retrieves
high school dropouts, provides educational opportunities
for youth, and prepares young people for the workforce.
GWTP
Shipping & Receiving graduate Robert Garza spoke
eloquently about how his experience at Greater West Town
has restored his hope for the future. Now that he’s
completed his training at Greater West Town, he regards
the agency as “my second family,” and believes
his newly acquired technical skills will make him stand
out when he applies for jobs. He explained that it was
so important that the City and federal government fund
such programs, since he could never have afforded to
pay for the kind of training he received at Greater West
Town, and he knows that more people than ever need this
kind of help in today’s economy..
Executive
Director Bill Leavy explained how the agency’s
collaborative partnerships with the community, employers,
and government are key to overcoming the current economic
crisis. He also emphasized the need for expanded support
for trainees, especially during the job search. Mr. Leavy
noted the importance of the new funding for “putting
money into people’s pockets now,” to enable
them and their families to survive while they go through
the “long, hard process” of finding permanent
employment. He called the new investment in job training
services “right on time and right on target.”
The
Mayor pointed out the growing number of Chicago families
struggling to make ends meet, and pay their rent or mortgage.
But he stressed that we must continually train people
for higher-skilled jobs, and increase supportive services
during the difficult days and months ahead. He pledged
to work with organizations like GWTP that provide a holistic
approach to job training and placement and aid those
looking for work with transitional employment and wages.
And he expressed confidence that the City and the nation
will indeed pull through these hard times, just as we
came through the Great Depression.
