The Chatham Education and Workforce Center

The 11,000 square foot Center conceptualized by The Partnership, which operates the public workforce system in the City of Chicago and Cook County, truly lives up to its name as a place for education and occupational advancement. The first floor is home to office, classroom/group meeting spaces and a state-of-the art manufacturing classroom/Maker Lab where instruction will be provided by the Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC) and Richard J. Daley College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. Courses offered in the Lab will include blueprint reading, introduction to electrical circuitry, Computer Aided Design (CAD) and metrology (the science of measurement)—an important aspect of advanced manufacturing.

The second floor boasts a career center offering an array of services for job seekers and businesses, including resume preparation and training to job screening and placement. The second floor also houses a computer lab/resource room and a large, sun-soaked multi-purpose room with capacity for more than 100 people for hiring events or community gatherings. The room can be subdivided into two or three classrooms as well.

In addition, the Greater Chatham Initiative (GCI), born of that initial meeting, will call the Center home. Launched in June 2016, GCI performs the role of a local anchor institution—by coordinating, planning and fundraising for key synergistic initiatives, GCI drives and links comprehensive neighborhood and economic growth.

All services provided at the Center are provided free of charge and the Center will offer weekend hours to facilitate community use.