The Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs is a coordinated effort to assess Chicago's economy and help it expand at a faster rate. It provides a set of goals, a framework for research and analysis, and strategies for which actionable initiatives are being developed.
Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs Initiatives
The story of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 isn’t really about the fire. It’s about what happened next: A remarkable moment when the most brilliant engineers, architects and inventors came together to build a new city. Their innovations – born of passion and practical ingenuity – shaped not just Chicago, but the modern world. What started 140 years ago continues to this day. Chicago’s brightest digital designers, engineers and entrepreneurs are shaping new technologies, disrupting old business models, and resetting the boundaries of what’s possible. If that sounds like you, join us. Come to a place where you can share ideas, make mistakes, work hard, build your business and, with a little luck, change the world. 1871 is the flagship project of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC), a non-profit organization that supports entrepreneurs on their path to building high-growth, sustainable businesses that serve as platforms for economic development and civic leadership. CEC runs and operates the 1871 workspace, develops programming, organizes events and ensures that the culture of 1871 allows entrepreneurs the greatest opportunity for success.
Illinois was one of 11 states to be recently funded for the Design Phase of the Accelerating Opportunity: A Breaking Through Initiative. The Accelerating Opportunity initiative is designed to fundamentally change the way Adult Basic Education is delivered, moving from a system designed for an earlier age, when a GED credential alone could lead to a family supporting career, to one expressly structured to transition students to postsecondary credential programs. It seeks to significantly increase the number of lower-skilled students that achieve at least one “stackable,” credit-bearing, post-secondary credential. The initiative is based on the belief that postsecondary credentials are the gateway to family supporting wages and are critical to alleviating the trans-generational cycle of poverty and to ensuring equity in America.
The Advanced Manufacturing Jobs Accelerator is a competition to help grow industry clusters by strengthening connections to regional economic development opportunities, enhancing a region’s capacity to create high-quality sustainable jobs, developing a skilled advanced manufacturing workforce, encouraging the development of small businesses, and accelerating technological innovation. The $26 million Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge is supported by 14 federal agencies and was announced by the Obama administration on May 29, 2012.
The Joint Committee on City-County Collaboration was established in March 2011 to recommend ways the City of Chicago and Cook County could streamline services, improve residents’ interactions with government, and reduce costs. In June 2011, the Joint Committee issued a report describing 19 areas for collaboration and projected savings in the range of $66 million – $140 million by 2014. In September 2011, the committee announced $11.3 million in annual savings and new revenue had been identified, and a twentieth area of collaboration was added: Anti-Violence and Community Stabilization Strategies.
Argonne National Laboratory, located just outside of Chicago, is one of the U.S. Department of Energy's largest national laboratories for scientific and engineering research. Our over 1,250 scientists and engineers aim to solve the nation's most important challenges in energy, the environment and national security.
Our mission is to apply a unique mix of world-class science, engineering and user facilities to deliver innovative research and technologies. We create new knowledge that addresses the most important scientific and societal needs of our nation. Argonne's programmatic activities cover all aspects of the innovation ecology: basic research, technology development and prototype development and testing. We regularly work with industry through exclusive licensing, joint research and a variety of other mechanisms to transfer our inventions to the marketplace.
Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
Argonne National Laboratory, located just outside of Chicago, is one of the U.S. Department of Energy's largest national laboratories for scientific and engineering research. Our over 1,250 scientists and engineers aim to solve the nation's most important challenges in energy, the environment and national security.
Our mission is to apply a unique mix of world-class science, engineering and user facilities to deliver innovative research and technologies. We create new knowledge that addresses the most important scientific and societal needs of our nation. Argonne's programmatic activities cover all aspects of the innovation ecology: basic research, technology development and prototype development and testing. We regularly work with industry through exclusive licensing, joint research and a variety of other mechanisms to transfer our inventions to the marketplace.
Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
ASIP Local 150's training center is situated on 300-plus acres in Wilmington, IL, about 50 miles south of Chicago. The center boasts 342,000 square feet of space housing an indoor training area, almost 200 pieces of heavy equipment, 30 classrooms, construction material testing lab, state of the art welding facility, equipment simulator lab, a 200-seat auditorium, and much more. Instructors are available to members six days a week, Monday through Saturday, except holidays. The indoor training arena is large enough to allow 18 plus pieces of equipment to operate simultaneously. Also, we are proud partners with OSHA to have established an alliance to advance health and safety training.
South Suburban College’s Nanoscience Technology Program will provide students with entry level skills to manipulate atoms and molecules at the nanometer scale (1-100 nanometers or 1- 100 billionth of a meter) in a cutting-edge emerging field of study. Graduates of this 66-67 credit hour AAS degree will be prepared to work as technicians, manufacturers and production workers within industry using nanoscience and micro science technologies, including areas of research and development, production, manufacturing and sales.
Austin Polytech in partnership with the Center for Labor & Community Research (CLCR) operates an adult training program to help community members earn nationally-recognized Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machining credentials. The class is taught in APA's accredited WaterSaver Faucet Manufacturing Technology Center during evenings by skilled and experienced instructors. Trainees can earn up to five National Institutes for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) credentials over a ten month period which can lead to higher paying, career-track jobs in the exciting advanced manufacturing sector. Beyond skills and the credentials associated with the classroom experience, there is also a sense of camaraderie instilled among the participants as they join together to complete their coursework and move toward identifying job opportunities. The adult program will continue to meet every Monday and Wednesday for another 10 months. The goal is for every student to acquire credentials leading to a high-paying manufacturing job.
Founded in 2007 by the Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council, Austin Polytechnical Academy is a college and career prep high school with a focus on manufacturing and engineering. Students learn about careers in all aspects of the industry, from skilled production and engineering to management and company ownership – plus related sectors like intellectual property law. More than 60 industry partners work in conjunction with the Academy to provide students with mentoring, field trips, work experience, and other enrichment opportunities. $1.25 million in recovered TIF funds will be used to create new state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing programs at Austin Polytechnical Academy.
