On May 22, Task Force Movement Initiative members and guests, including representatives from the American Legion, gathered at a Sheraton outside Chicago to launch Task Force Movement Illinois, connecting the military with jobs in understaffed and emerging sectors of the Illinois economy.
Each state's economy is unique, and in his opening remarks, Julio Rodriguez, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's Employment and Training Bureau, said, “Governor Pritzker is thrilled that he believes we can provide opportunities for veterans, military members and their families that other states may not be able to offer.”
Representatives from two job placement programs spoke to the group. One TFM program model is the United Military Apprenticeship Program. The program has worked with Peoples Gas of Chicago since 2011-2012, with assistance from the City University of Chicago, to develop the company's Gas Utility Worker curriculum. Through this collaboration, students are kept up to date with the latest technological advancements that are introduced through fluid revisions to the curriculum. Upon completion of the utility curriculum, graduates are able to find employment with Peoples Gas.
This more traditional part of the energy economy now coexists with newer capabilities. Larry Dawson Jr. is the northern region administrator for the Climate and Fair Jobs Act (CEJA) for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. He said Governor Pritzker has announced his intention to run the state exclusively on clean energy by 2050, and his office is working to develop a talent pipeline for that future.
Priority applicants for the CEJA program include members of minority communities and veterans. They receive workforce and more comprehensive training, contractor support, economic development resources and more. “We want to make sure we're not missing out on potential,” Dawson said. CEJA is part of a statewide “ecosystem” working toward Illinois' transition to renewable and clean energy. He added that graduates of the program can work for contractors under the framework they receive.
Air Force Brigadier General (Ret.) John Michel came from Swansea, Illinois, just southeast of St. Louis, to tell the group about the food truck incubator/community he founded with his wife, Holly. He aims to employ veterans in the post-COVID hospitality industry, where food trucks are growing 10% annually. Like other parts of society, soup kitchens were affected by pandemic lockdowns and shortages. And the Swansea neighborhood is plagued by food deserts. To address the issue, the couple bought and sent out food trucks and began training aspiring entrepreneurs to own and operate them. Now, on a multi-acre campus that also includes a restaurant and dog park, Soul Shall Kitchen is introducing the nation's first Department of Labor-certified food truck apprenticeship program, and is also looking to work with the Department of Defense's Skill Bridge program, a TFM partner.
The meeting also featured updates on TFM's three current focus areas: transportation, cyber and health care. Cyber Chairman Dr. Jack Dever said the effort has “restored camaraderie,” and noted that, as evidenced by Illinois' example, the “highly successful” trucking program shows how the public and private sectors can work together. “This model works.”
