As the fiscal agent to LWIA 23, Lake Land College has received a commitment of funding from Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in the amount of $89,000 for the Apprenticeship Expansion Grant – Navigator 2.0.

The grant funds will be used to hire a Business Services Specialist who will also serve as the apprenticeship specialist in Economic Development Region 7. Apprenticeship Specialists are an essential component to the Apprenticeship Illinois framework as they work directly with businesses to cultivate and launch new US Department of Labor-registered apprenticeships. 

The new Business Services Specialist will start with LWIA 23 on October 16, 2023. Be ready to make our newest teammate feel welcome in just a few weeks!

Curious about our region's job openings? Interested in monthly updates on which sectors have the most vacant positions? Education and experience requirements trends? Data nerd? Just plain nosey? Well, you won't want to miss the most recent HWOL report!

The Help Wanted OnLine® (HWOL) program monitors the number of online job ad openings posted by Illinois employers. This data is produced to provide clarity regarding employment opportunities with information on jobs ads by employer and by occupation in each of the Economic Development Regions (EDR).

Each monthly report only includes *new* job postings during the prior 30 days for the EDR and the Statewide report. This information shows only the employers and occupations that have recently posted job ads so we can provide the most up to date information on available jobs.

We will meet on October 18th at 1pm at the Kluthe Center and Zoom. Hope to see you there!



Talent Pipeline Management Updates

The LWIA 23 Business Services Team is currently working on plans for hosting Sector Roundtable discussions and implementing the Talent Pipeline Management framework to help sector partnerships develop solutions for their talent pipeline challenges.

Share these sector surveys with your networks!

Manufacturing Sector Demand Survey

IT Sector Survey

Talent Pipeline Management Collaboratives play a critical role for employers as a public-private partnership. Through the Collaborative, we are able to organize local, real-time data on the most crucial workforce needs by forecasting the level of demand, communicating hiring requirements, and mapping internal and external pipelines with existing talent sources. In addition, Collaboratives have the power to manage talent supply chains and improve performance through data-backed assessment of training providers.

By working together, employers like you can accomplish more than working alone in addressing your critical workforce needs. Participating in the Collaborative puts strength behind the action in addressing shared pain points such as recruiting, onboarding, career advancement, retention, succession planning, and increasing diversity. As a group, employers can get better responsiveness from training providers and policy-makers. Small employers often do lack the resources or leverage to get the same results as larger employers. Collaboratives provide the needed capacity and advantage to get similar results for small businesses. There is definitely strength in numbers!

Do not miss the chance to join the discussion and reap the rewards of the Manufacturing Talent Pipeline Management^® Collaborative. Complete the surveys above to let us know what workforce challenges your company is facing and to let us know you want in on the action! This quick survey can be completed in less than five minutes. Be sure to tell us who from your company will be the best point of contact for follow up. We have found the best representative(s) for this conversation would be someone who understands what staffing challenges exist for your organization. This will vary from business to business and may be more than one person. 

Coles County: Emerald Acres Drawing Attention from National Retailers

JG-TC— Earth work has begun for the construction of 150,000-square-foot indoor facility as part of a planned sports complex and commercial area that is reportedly drawing national chain attention from Kohl's and other possible tenants.

The earth moving has somewhat outpaced efforts by the developers of the planned Emerald Acres Sports Connection to secure needed city approvals for the approximately 15-acre indoor facility site off the southeast corner of Dettro Drive and Remington Road.

Ground was ceremonially broken on May 31 for Emerald Acres. The sports complex will be built on 110 acres donated by Rural King, which plans to open 40 adjacent acres it owns to related retail development. The indoor sports facility is set to open in 2024, followed by the outdoor facilities in 2025.



…[A]rtist renderings for planned The Shops of Emerald Acres commercial area, east of Home Depot and Rent X, include retailers such as Kohl's, Famous Footwear, and Michaels as possible tenants. The artist renderings on the Goodman Real Estate Services Group's Emerald Acres webpage also include Bealls Florida clothing, Five Below and, Ross Dress for Less as possible tenants. Goodman Real Estate helped bring the Marshalls store to the Cross County Mall, which is owned by Rural King.

What is growing in your communities?

Please share all the good news!



Please contact Jamie Corda Hadjaoui to have your events, business news, or other workforce highlights added to the newsletter.

WIOA Wednesday Webinars

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Illinois Workforce Innovation Board (IWIB)

IWIB is responsible for overseeing the development, implementation and modification of the Unified State Plan, convening all relevant programs, required partners and stakeholders, and providing oversight and strategic leadership for the state workforce development system.



Through a committee and task force structure, IWIB representatives from private/public partner programs offer policy recommendations to strengthen Illinois' workforce system. All policies developed or commented upon include input from partners and the general public.

Learn more at illinoisworknet.com/WIOA

Workforce GPS

WorkforceGPS is your online technical assistance website created to help build the capacity of America's public workforce investment system. WorkforceGPS was developed specifically for workforce professionals, educators, and business leaders. Here you will find curated communities of interest, useful webinars and other training resources, promising workforce development practices, and relevant evidence-based research – giving you the tools you need to help you create innovative approaches to improve the employment prospects of job seekers.

Learn more at WorkforceGPS.org

ION - Innovation and Opportunity Network

The Innovation and Opportunity Network (ION) is designed to support state and local workforce development boards, system professionals, and employers, helping you find the resources you need to successfully implement the vision of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). With links to guidance documents, the latest technical assistance and training tools, and numerous ways to engage with your peers across the country, ION helps you stay informed and connected as you navigate towards WIOA implementation success. 

Learn more at ION.workforcegps.org

WIOA Works Illinois

​WIOA Works Illinois is an online resource to assist business and industry leaders, policy makers, community organizations and workforce professionals in achieving success under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). This site will keep you up-to-date on our state's policies and programs, highlight local innovation by sharing best practices and success stories, and outline specific policies to ensure a skilled workforce for our state's employers.

Learn more at Illinois WorkNet