November 2020 Client of the Month

Age: 22
Position: Team Member
Employer: Viet Nom Nom
Employed Since: November 2020

Bernard enrolled into YJC’s Career Pathways Program in November 2019 and in just one year he has graduated from the Fundamental of Culinary Arts program, completed a 16-week paid internship, and recently transitioned into a full-time position at Viet Nom Nom! Bernard’s passion for cooking and love for food shows through in the meals he creates and in the smile on his face when he is asked about preparing dishes.

Moreover, Bernard’s commitment to the culinary industry is reflective of the amount of time he has spent gaining the skills needed to excel in the food service and hospitality sector. Bernard has earned his Food Handler’s Certification, Food Allergen Certification, and his Food Management License! Each of these certifications showcase Bernard’s dedication to learning the protocols needed to create delectable dishes, while also following the safety and sanitation regulations in the industry.

Congratulations Bernard on accomplishing your goals and beginning your culinary career!

#VietNomNomEmployee #FutureCulinaryChef #YJCSuccess

October 2020 Client of the Month

Age: 18
Career Pathway: Culinary Arts
Enrolled: October 2020

Alondra is a recent graduate of Gage Park High School Class of 2020. She first connected with YJC during her senior year when seeking opportunities to pursue her dream of culinary arts. Although she was not a YJC seminar student, Alondra took it upon herself to connect with the Career Advisor at Gage Park to see what resources were available in her.

Alondra is friendly, patient, and determined. Over the summer, she applied to many jobs but could not find the right fit. After a few advising sessions with her YJC Career Advisor, she decided to enroll and was accepted into YJC’s Career Pathway program for Culinary Arts. And the good news doesn’t end there! Alondra is motivated and eager to succeed, and expressed an interest in pursuing an employment opportunity through our partnership at Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP). She is currently in the process of interviewing for a COVID-19 Contact Tracer position to further develop her interpersonal and bilingual customer service skills. We are excited to see Alondra transition from our in-school services as a high school student to our out-of-school services as a young adult and access all the different resources available to her through YJC!

Keep up the hard work Alondra!

September 2020 Client of the Month

Cesar

Age: 23
Position: Warehouse Restock Associate
Employer: Power Stop
Employed Since: July 2020

Since his engagement in YJC’s Career Pathways Program, Cesar’s passion has been to obtain his Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). He participated in a CDL certification program in the spring of 2019 and successfully obtained his CDL license in September 2019, while also securing a job to drive a delivery truck with UPS.

Unfortunately, Cesar had to redirect his goals after a car accident that temporarily paused his ability to drive trucks. While patiently waiting to address his legal circumstances, he worked with his Career Pathways Career Advisors to apply for alternative jobs. Cesar was employed at a restaurant and later worked at a warehouse in an effort to provide for his two young children. After COVID derailed his employment, he continued to seek alternative opportunities and secured full-time employment at Power Stop as a Warehouse Restock Associate in July 2020. Since then, his supervisors have praised his consistency and have promoted him to work in the inventory department and will later transition him to become a forklift operator.

Cesar’s strong work ethic and ability to adapt to a changing environment is a testament to his dedication and commitment to success.

Congrats Cesar!

August 2020 Client of the Month

Kenya

Age: 19
Position: Brand Associate
Employer: Old Navy
Employed Since: June 2019

Kenya signed up for Youth Job Center Services in the Summer of 2019 and began her new journey as a part of the This Way Ahead Internship Program at Old Navy on State Street in downtown Chicago.

Even as Kenya balanced her school life with her employment goals she always remained excited about the opportunity, knowing she would be gaining and learning so many valuable lessons along the way.  Working at the Old Navy Store allows her to continue building on her Communication Skills as taught in her Youth Job Center’s Work Readiness Training since she’s able to interact with customers on a daily basis.

In winter of last year, Kenya had a chance to share her personal story with Bob Fisher (Interim Gap Inc. President & CEO) & Sonia Syngal (Old Navy President + CEO).  And more recently she has been asked to join a This Way Ahead Alumni cohort that will help her gain some new professional development opportunities and assist her in building her skill set as an employee, providing her with additional value as an employee and hopefully helping her to imagine her future goals with the company.

Finally, Kenya has been quoted in the Inside Old Navy feature where she gives her thoughts and perspective on some world views. The Youth Job Center Team is looking forward to all Kenya’s continued & next successes!

July 2020 Client of the Month

Willie

Age: 24
Position: Warehouse Team Member
Employer: Dimension Design
Employed Since: May 2020

Willie successfully completed YJC’s Work Readiness Training and enrolled into YJC’s Career Pathways in February 2020. Despite the unprecedented global pandemic, he did not put a pause on his goals, but  rather showed a determination and willingness to move forward. From February 2020 through May 2020, Willie participated in Oakton Community College’s Auto Maintenance Training Program. During the four month Auto Maintenance Training program, he gained the auto skills needed to transition into the workforce. In May 2020, Willie received his Basic Auto Maintenance & Repair certificate of completion for successfully fulfilling the requirements needed to begin his career in the auto and customer service industry!

Willie’s positive attitude and perseverance is a testament that he was able to accomplish his goals, even in the midst of COVID-19. Due to his outstanding work ethic, Willie was able to secure full-time employment at Dimension Design as a Warehouse Team Member. He will soon be transitioning to an auto internship post-COVID-19 where he will be able to apply his auto skills.

Congrats Willie! 

June 2020 Client of the Month

Syed

Age: 19
Position: Team Member
Employer: I Dream of Falafel
Employed Since: December 2019

Syed is gifted with technology and dreams of one day starting his own tech company. 

This year, he took a big step towards achieving that goal.

Syed moved from India with his mom and sister in 2017 and began attending Sullivan High School, where he has worked with two different YJC career advisors. Throughout this time, he has attained jobs at Dunkin Donuts, After School Matters, and I Dream of Falafel. Syed worked hard to keep up his grades while working 35 hours a week to support his family.

When his career advisor Hester Buell saw Syed’s work ethic and heard about his interest in technology, she knew he would be an excellent fit for Year Up. Year Up offers young adults the opportunity to gain rigorous training, professional development, college credits, and a corporate internship with a major company in the fields of IT and business. It provides amazing mentorship and a connection to the corporate world that most young adults simply do not have access to. But because of the intensity of the program, it requires an individual with curiosity, dedication, and ambition to succeed. It requires someone like Syed.

After Hester referred him, Syed applied and was quickly invited for an interview! He worked with Hester for hours each week leading up to his interview—perfecting his resume, editing his essay, and practicing his interview skills. When the interview came, he was able to talk about his strengths, share why this program was important to him, and show the interviewer that he would be an excellent fit. 

Two weeks later, we could not be happier to announce that Syed is finishing up his enrollment to begin the IT program at Year Up in September. He will be taking classes to develop the skills needed for IT and Helpdesk, as well receiving professional mentorship to learn how to navigate the corporate workspace. Syed will graduate a year from now with professional contacts and hands-on experience working at a major corporation—well on his way to achieving his goal.

Way to go Syed!

May 2020 Client of the Month

BreeAnna

Age: 26
Position: Team Member
Employer: The Marriott Chicago
Employed Since: January 2020

Since her engagement in YJC’s Career Pathways Program, BreAnna's passion has been to secure a long-term career in the healthcare sector. From August 2019 through April 2020, BreeAnna participated in Chicago Community Learning Center’s Patient Care Technician Program. During the 8 month training program, BreeAnna gained the medical skills needed to transition into the medical field and earned multiple certifications (Phlebotomy, EKG, and CPR). In April 2020, after completing all the required courses and clinical hours needed to take the national certification exam, BreeAnna successfully passed and received her American Medical Certification Association License as a Patient Care Technician / Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)!

BreeAnna’s ability to balance a part-time job and support her son’s educational needs while simultaneously attending a rigorous medical training program is a testament to BreeAnna’s dedication and perseverance. While BreeAnna’s current employment as a Team Member at The Marriott is only temporary, it is the first step to BreeAnna gaining employment in the medical field. YJC is enthusiastic about the excellent CNA BreeAnna will become and the people she will support in the medical industry.

Congrats BreeAnna making your dreams become a reality!

#FutureCNA #YJCBelievesInYou #BlackExcellence

April 2020 Client of the Month

Marco

Age: 18
Position: Team Member
Employer: Chick-Fil-A
Employed Since: April 2020

Marco Luna is currently a senior at Gage Park High School and began working with YJC in 2019, during his junior year. Marco, who is enrolled in Seminar classes and works consistently with his YJC Career Advisor during class, began seeking YJC services for extra support on his resume and job applications. Although he was already employed, Marco took the initiative to find another job because he wasn’t receiving enough hours at his place of employment. Upon updating his resume, completing more than 5 applications, and seeing his YJC Career Advisor LaLa Bolander for one-on-one coaching, Marco completed three rounds of interviews and accepted an offer from Chick-Fil-A. Marco did an amazing job of highlighting his personal strengths and work experience during his interviews and received praise from the owners of the franchise. Marco is excited to work his first service industry job at Chick-Fil-A’s brand-new Water Tower Location and hopes to continue working while attending Daley College in the fall.

IDES Taking Steps to Address Unprecedented Volume of Unemployment Claims

SPRINGFIELD – Today, Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced they are taking additional steps to address the unprecedented volume of unemployment benefit claims the department has fielded as a result of COVID-19. 

To date, the department has taken several steps to improve the unemployment benefit claims process via the online portal and the call center.

•  The website has been moved to new hardware infrastructure to handle the increased demand

•  Web, storage, and processing capacity has been increased to meet needs of increased traffic

•  Methods have been implemented to track COVID-19-related claims

•  Call center capacity has been increased

•  Daily call center hours have been extended to respond to those waiting in the queue after closure

•  Call center staff has been supplemented by 40% to cut down on wait times

•  Both the website and the call center will continue to be monitored for improvements in functions and abilities

In addition to these measures, IDES is now asking individuals to adhere to an alphabetized schedule when filing an unemployment benefit claim online and over the phone.  This process mirrors other states, such as Colorado and New York, who are experiencing increased web traffic and high call volumes with their unemployment benefit systems. 

Online Filing Schedule:

•  Those with last names beginning with letters A-M will be asked to file their claims on Sundays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays. 

•  Those with last names beginning with letters N-Z will be asked to file their claims on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays.

•  Saturdays will be available for anyone to accommodate those who could not file during their allotted window.

Call Center Filing Schedule:

•  Those with last names beginning with letters A-M will be asked to call on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 7:30am – 6pm. 

•  Those with last names beginning with letters N-Z will be asked to call on Mondays and Wednesdays between 7:30am – 6pm.

•  Fridays (7:30am – 6pm) will be available for anyone to accommodate those who could not file during their allotted window.

The day or time of day in which a claim is filed will not impact whether you receive benefits or your benefit amount.  Additionally, claims will be back-dated to reflect the date in which a claimant was laid-off or let go from their job due to COVID-19.

IDES is currently working through an unparalleled number of unemployment benefit claims and questions, both online and through the call center.  Over the first three weeks of March, IDES has received over 130,000 unemployment benefit claims, an increase of close to 400% compared to the corresponding weeks the prior year.  The department received close to 115,000 claims for the week of March 21 alone, an increase of nearly 1,400% compared to the corresponding week the prior year.  Additionally, the call center continues to field hundreds of calls per minute, per day.

The administration and the department understand and empathize with the heightened level of frustration this crisis has had on those wishing to file a claim.  IDES is doing everything possible to support our customers and meet the demand for unemployment benefit inquiries and claims.

Those with questions or in need of assistance with unemployment benefit at this time are encouraged to visit IDES.Illinois.gov.