Mayor Rahm Emanuel today introduced an ordinance to the Chicago City Council that will create the Chicago-Cook Workforce Partnership, a collaboration between the City of Chicago and Cook County that will merge their Workforce Investment Act (WIA) areas under one centralized, non- profit workforce agency.

“A world-class workforce development system is essential for our region’s economic future,” said Mayor Emanuel. “The Chicago-Cook Workforce Partnership will help close the gap between people who can’t find jobs and employers who have available positions but can’t find skilled workers.”

By merging operations, the partnership will allow residents to train and apply for jobs without regard to geographic boundaries while streamlining operations and protecting financing for services provided by delegate agencies in light of Federal funding reductions.

Through this new non-profit, the City and the County will reduce administrative costs, streamline service delivery, improve programs regionally. The proposed partnership will reduce the City’s operation cost by $1.1 million to $3.4 million and allow the savings to protect job-assistance and workforce training to approximately 400 Chicago residents.

The merger is another example of the collaborative effort undertaken by the City and County. The new system will operate seamlessly between Chicago and Cook County, maximizing the available positions for job-seekers and offering companies a much larger applicant pool.

“The Workforce Partnership between Cook County and the City of Chicago will vastly enhance how employment services are delivered and connect residents throughout the region with good-paying jobs,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “This is yet another example of the City and the County working together on behalf of taxpayers, and I look forward to continue to advance this important collaboration.”