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About the WIRE

The mission of the Workforce Information and Resource Exchange (WIRE) is to provide timely and relevant information to stakeholders in the workforce development community in Chicago and Illinois in their efforts to ensure that disadvantaged job-seekers and low-wage workers have access to employment and career advancement opportunities. The WIRE is designed to serve as a portal to important information in workforce development and closely-related fields by centralizing data and information, as well as making it accessible and relevant to providers and other stakeholders.

As an information portal, the WIRE is a dynamic resource: You will find continuously updated data, new additions in information and features, and on-going improvements based on the feedback of users. Please contact Megan Winzeler, Director of Programs, with any questions, comments or suggestions regarding the WIRE.

WIRE Background

In 2007, CJC launched this initiative to systematically collect, organize and distribute information related to employment, education and training in Chicago and Illinois based on the following premises:

1. Workforce development providers and other stakeholders interested in programs and policies for low-income, low-skilled individuals have previously lacked a dedicated resource for data and information related to the workforce development and employment service delivery system in Chicago and Illinois;
2. Existing public data on program funding, providers, and participants is often fragmented, cumbersome, and time-consuming to obtain: If combined, these sub-sets of data could provide a more complete picture of the workforce development landscape;
3. Research generated through on-going workforce development and anti-poverty initiatives are not necessarily widely distributed or centrally catalogued. Further, academic analysis and institutional data sets can be intimidating if not customized for a frontline audience.