MAYOR DALEY JOINS BOEING & EXELON AT LAUNCH OF

NEW REGIONAL BUSINESS LEADERSHIP GROUP

Recognizes Eleven Companies for Employee Development Strategies

CHICAGO—A new Business Leadership Group designed to increase the Chicago region’s global competitive advantage to attract and maintain a quality workforce was launched by co-chairs Phil Condit, Chairman & CEO, The Boeing Company and John W. Rowe, Chairman, President & CEO, Exelon Corporation. Mayor Richard M. Daley joined leading corporate CEOs at a breakfast business briefing where eleven locally based companies were recognized for their exemplary workforce learning and development practices.

“Turning the Chicagoland region into a prime talent pool for the 21st century economy is essential for us to compete on the world economic stage,” said Mayor Daley as he recognized the featured eleven companies.

WorkforceChicago2.0 was formed nearly two years ago as a collaborative initiative among the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), the Human Resources Management Association of Chicago (HRMAC), and World Business Chicago (WBC) to help the Chicago region become a prime talent pool for the 21st century economy. Through support from The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation this initiative was created to provide a framework for businesses to learn about new models of learning and development for all employees. The Chicago Workforce Board, The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, The Mayor's Office of Workforce Development, and The Metropolitan Mayors’ Caucus have all endorsed WorkforceChicago2.0.

“WorkforceChicago2.0 is a business-led initiative that can help all employers understand the advantages of a skilled and knowledgeable workforce,” said CAEL President and CEO, Pamela Tate.

“From working with businesses all over the country, we see the impact education can make on the quality of employees and how that translates to the bottom line for companies across all industries. CAEL applauds our co-chairs for having the vision to provide the powerful leadership necessary to help launch the Business Leadership Group, which will have a regional impact in both the private and public sectors,” said Tate.

“We live in a rapidly changing world,” said Phil Condit, President & CEO, The Boeing Company. “The Information Revolution is changing the way we operate and organize, the way we interact and do business, they way we learn and grow. This will mean that many of the thoughts we have about careers will be changed.”

“WorkforceChicago2.0 is about the parallel between workforce development and the return on investment that company-sponsored learning and staff development initiatives produce for a business,” said Exelon Chairman, President & CEO, John W. Rowe. “There is no doubt in our mind that ours is a powerful economy, with an engine fueled by the professionals in our region. But it is only through partnerships between the public and private sector, one feeding the other with policies that promote private sector development that we can be most effective. During the next year we will examine how we can promote policies and programs that will create a dynamic effect on the region’s economy,” said Rowe.

The original WorkforceChicago2.0 Advisory Board, comprised of company leaders in human resources, designed a two-fold strategy to determine how to best improve the position of the Chicago region regarding workforce training and development: First, to create an annual exemplary practices award for businesses to showcase companies in the region that are doing leading-edge work in their employee training and education programs that can be documented in case studies shared with other companies; and second, to develop a CEO-level business leadership group to raise awareness of the critical importance of workforce development for the region’s economy and impact of public sector policies to encourage employee training and development.

Awardee companies were selected based on their ability to further business objectives through employee development. This included practices to attract and retain talented employees, strategies for transitioning employees to an e-business environment, partnerships with other companies and educational institutions, the use of new technologies for effective learning, and the creation of “informal” learning environments.

This year’s recognized companies are: Allstate Insurance Company, Bank One, Bimba Manufacturing Company, Dunlee, Ernst & Young, Golin/Harris International, Motorola, Inc., The Northern Trust Company, S&C Electric Company, TruServ Corporation, and the University of Chicago Hospitals.

Project co-partner Bernadette Patton, as Executive Director of HRMAC, works with companies that know that people are a business’s only sustainable advantage. "Corporate leaders focused on the bottom line are actively integrating their human resource policies into their strategic planning process," said Patton. "Human Resource leaders are partners at the management table. Successful companies know that effective workforce practices directly impact the financial health and viability of a business¹s long-term success."

"The future of Chicago's economy rests on three pillars -- workforce, quality of life, and infrastructure. Worldwide superiority in each will be necessary, if Chicago is to stand among the agenda-setting global cities of the 21st century," said Paul O'Connor, Executive Director of World Business Chicago and co-partner of WorkforceChicago2.0. "Chicago's diversified economy is the national leader in a dozen industries that allow a broad base of its people to pursue prosperity, and continued leadership depends on the skill levels of our people," said O'Connor, whose business-focused organization led Mayor Daley's efforts to bring The Boeing Company to Chicago.

“We must work together as a region if we are to compete in the global marketplace,” said Thomas J. Murawski, President, Village of Midlothian and Co-Chair, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Economic Development Committee. “We can’t afford to be focusing on competing for employees from Chicago to Schaumburg; the real battle is how we better utilize and develop our own workforce, and attract and maintain quality employees.”

During this next year WorkforceChicago2.0’s Business Leadership Group will advocate for workforce learning in public, private, and policy sectors through the following activities:

• Enlist membership of 15 to 25 leaders from Chicagoland companies of various sizes and from diverse industries.

• Influence peers and encourage them to support workforce learning and development through a CEO-to-CEO campaign.

• Plan and participate in a leadership group meeting with regional/university presidents and other key business leaders.

• Increase recognition of WorkforceChicago2.0 efforts and workforce learning and development issues through media and marketing efforts.

• Host a second recognition ceremony that illustrates exemplary regional workforce learning and development practices.

“Incumbent worker training frequently increases both company productivity and employee skills. The real test of success for this group will not only be raising awareness of the importance of this training, but also demonstrating how effectively education and training programs help employers meet those goals.” said Linda Kaiser, Executive Director, The Chicago Workforce Board.

"Retraining our workforce to create access to new jobs and skill sets for both middle class and low-income employees is essential for sustaining healthy communities that promote both an integrated and mixed-income region," said City of Chicago Commissioner Jackie Edens, who heads the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. "We are committed to partnering with the business community in developing progressive public policies that promote workforce development programs and institute effective change benefiting both employees and employers in the workplace."

“A significant attendance at the breakfast briefing by CEOs from awardee companies, from our member organizations, and other major institutions in the region demonstrates just how seriously business leaders are taking this challenge,” said Jerry Roper, President and CEO of The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. “This is just the first step in raising the level of awareness and involvement from the Chicago region’s business community. We are thrilled with the opportunity to be a part of a project that engages a broader audience in a substantive dialogue regarding the importance of lifelong learning for employees in the workplace. This is a win-win for everyone at the table,” said Roper.

More information about the WorkforceChicago 2.0 initiative can be obtained at: www.workforcechicago2.org