Pritzker launches "Get Hired" website
to connect workers impacted by COVID-19 with employment and career
resources
Administration also announces partnership
with Coursera to launch in June, offering online workforce
development courses for Illinois job-seekers
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[September 15, 2020]
Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department
of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the Illinois
Department of Employment Services (IDES) today launched Get Hired
Illinois – a new portal designed to connect workers with available
job and career training opportunities across the state of Illinois.
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Governor Pritzker also announced that beginning in
June, Illinois residents will have free access to online workforce
development courses via a partnership with Coursera. With Illinois
facing record unemployment as a result of COVID-19, the Coursera
partnership and Get Hired page will serve as important measures in
the state’s overall efforts to get people back to work.
Residents and employers may access Get Hired at:
www.illinois.gov/gethired
“The financial stability and success of our residents is key to
getting Illinois’ economy back on its feet,” said Governor JB
Pritzker. “Illinois won’t be restored until our workers and families
have the opportunities and resources they need to build and fill
their lives. That’s why my administration is working with businesses
and industries across the state to encourage more employers to
utilize the Get Hired website.”
The new Get Hired portal blends IDES and DCEO resources to provide a
one-stop-shop for both job seekers and employers—providing
information on job opportunities as well as unemployment resources.
The page is designed to be user-friendly for job seekers of all
levels and backgrounds and allows employers to upload jobs, virtual
career fairs and training opportunities.
“Through a partnership between IDES, DCEO and the Governor’s Office,
the State’s new Get Hired portal was designed to bring both job
seekers and employers into a virtual marketplace so they can connect
on job and career opportunities in real time,” said Erin Guthrie,
Director of DCEO. “The Get Hired portal works to solve a goal that’s
two-fold – helping our job seekers return to work quickly and
supporting our businesses in adding talented workers to help drive
our economic recovery.” The state also
announced a new partnership with Coursera, providing workers looking
for new employment opportunities additional resources for
professional development. The partnership will help individuals
navigate new career pathways, with a focus on training in the
Information Technology field. After completing the online programs,
participants will have the opportunity to continue in their studies
at a local community college or university, or to connect with
employers through their local workforce boards.
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“As COVID-19 continues to impact Illinois workers and the job
market, it is more important than ever to make employment resources
easily available to those seeking work,” said Illinois Department of
Employment Security Acting Director Thomas Chan. “Get Hired Illinois
will change the way job-seekers and employers connect in the
evolving economy.”
Get Hired currently features nearly 60,000 available job
opportunities in a variety of industries. While the State of
Illinois continues to support businesses across all industries, it
is working to encourage more employers to participate in Get Hired
IL, and to upload newly created job and paid apprenticeship
opportunities made available in the coming weeks.
The administration continues to work with Illinois employers, higher
education and local workforce agencies to make additional resources
available to job seekers in the coming weeks – including virtual job
fairs hosted by employers. More than 70 employers have committed to
hosting virtual job fairs through the Get Hired website, with the
number of employers growing daily.
“Coursera is honored to partner with the state of Illinois to serve
workers whose jobs have been affected by the pandemic,” said Jeff
Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera. “Along with our community of partners
that includes the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign,
Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago, we are proud
to deliver job-relevant online learning that will prepare unemployed
workers for new jobs and careers.”
As the nation faces record unemployment, Illinois has taken steps to
address the high volume of unemployment claims reported as a result
of COVID-19 and to increase availability of resources for those most
in need. Those steps include: bringing online a new IDES call
center, hiring additional staff to process claims, launching the
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, and increasing
personnel and technology to expedite faster claims processing.
Job seekers are encouraged to visit Get Hired often for updates on
available opportunities. Illinois residents can access the Coursera
platform on Illinois WorkNet beginning June 1, 2020.
[Illinois Office of Communication and
Information] |