Today, recruiting and outsourcing firm Seaton hosted U. S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez for a roundtable discussion organized by Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, a signature initiative of Mayor Rahm Emanuel that partners with local employers, such as Seaton, to identify their available hiring needs and matches them with qualified unemployed job seekers in Chicago and Cook County.
Today’s roundtable allowed Secretary Perez to see firsthand the success of the Skills for Chicagoland’s Future program and hear from a variety of its business partners and board members about the value of a demand-driven approach to workforce development. The Secretary also addressed challenges and concerns expressed by business leaders and discussed how his office can offer assistance. Secretary Perez’s visit also included a tour of Seaton’s offices and a meeting with several Seaton employees who were placed in their current jobs through Skills for Chicagoland’s Future.
Seaton CEO Patrick Beharelle sits on the board for Skills for Chicagoland’s Future and to date The Seaton Companies have hired more than 250 employees through the program. “It’s an unfortunate fact that once an individual has been unemployed for a certain amount of time, they are at a disadvantage when competing with employed candidates for jobs. This creates a spiral effect that makes it harder and harder for these people to re-enter the workforce,” Beharelle commented. “We’re proud to be working with Skills for Chicagoland’s Future to change that scenario and I welcome Secretary Perez to our headquarters for an overview of how the program works.”
At today’s event, Secretary Perez expressed his commitment to finding new ways to address the skills gap. “Through an industry-driven model that aligns with the needs of businesses, Skills for Chicagoland’s Future provides job seekers with the opportunity to gain credentials and opportunities that can lead them on a path toward jobs that are in demand today.”
“We are honored to have the opportunity to meet with Secretary Perez and show him firsthand the success of a demand-driven approach to reducing unemployment here in Chicago through our partnerships with companies such as Seaton,” said Marie Trzupek Lynch, president and CEO of Skills for Chicagoland’s Future. “Seaton has been a tremendous partner of ours. The company originally committed to hire 170 unemployed job seekers through our program, and have exceeded that goal, hiring more than 250 to date. We look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.”
About Skills for Chicagoland’s Future
SCF is a signature initiative of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel that partners with local employers to identify their available hiring needs and matches them with qualified unemployed job seekers in the Chicago metro area. Since SCF was launched in September 2012, it has generated 750 hiring commitments and more than 500 placements. SCF provides recruitment, placement and training services at no cost to the job seeker.www.skillsforchicagolandsfuture.com
About Seaton
Headquartered in Chicago, Seaton is a $580+ million outsourcing and recruiting company that operates under the Staff Management, StudentScout and PeopleScout brands and was recently recognized as America’s #1 job creator among privately held companies. Founded in 1988, the firm now has over 25,000 employees and operates in more than 60 countries; and since 2009, the firm has more than doubled in size. www.seatoncorp.com
Press Contacts
Jennifer Hutchison at jennifer_hutchison@jtpr.com, 312-573-5468 for Skills for Chicagoland’s Future
Gerry Sullivan at gsullivan@peoplescout.com, 312-915-5036 for Seaton
