City Workforce Strategy Alignment
Clients: City of Chicago Mayor’s Office - Deputy Mayor of Education, Youth and Human Services
Challenge: Meaningful employment and career opportunities are foundational to the Johnson Administration’s ambition to invest in and create pathways to prosperity for marginalized populations and underserved communities. While the private sector is responsible for most of the employment base, the City of Chicago government plays a multi-faceted role in workforce development through the resources deployed by its Departments and Sister Agencies, policy activities, and the power of its influence. The Mayor’s Office requested Civic Consulting Alliance’s support to help a working group articulate an overarching framework and a set of initiatives that capture the Administration’s objectives in a cohesive workforce agenda.
Action: From October 2023 through March 2024, a Civic Consulting Alliance team supported the Mayor’s Office to develop an overarching framework, including vision and mission, identify priority populations and initiatives for each population, and an implementation structure to support the further development and activation of a shared agenda. Our team also supported the launch of the cross-agency work group and ensured its sustainability by providing short-term project management support for the initial set of meetings with 40 stakeholders and defining workgroup roles and responsibilities to ensure continued alignment, momentum, and accountability.
Result: This cohesive vision identifies the Johnson administration’s priority populations for workforce development, including Youth, Returning Residents, and People with Disabilities. With an initial set of priority workforce initiatives and cross-agency initiative leaders, the City has the vision and key strategies to leverage its crucial roles as an employer, policymaker, funder, and convener. The successful launch puts the administration on a path to pursue and realize clear objectives so that all Chicagoans can achieve shared prosperity and upward economic mobility.
