Governor Pat Quinn
(Chicago, IL) — April 26, 2010. Another day, another jobs program gets rolled-out by Governor Pat Quinn.
Today, Quinn unveiled the Put Illinois to Work program, an anti-poverty program aimed at building a healthy workforce by putting 15,000 unemployed and underemployed Illinois residents back to work.
“The program will also assist in building a workforce that possesses the skills, abilities and experiences that Illinois employers need to remain competitive in the U.S. and global marketplace,” said Quinn.
Put Illinois to Work is a collaborative effort of the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Heartland Human Care Services funded through President Barack Obama’s 2009 federal stimulus bill.
The new jobs program announcement by Quinn is the third in the last 10 days.
On April 19 Quinn joined Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at the Eads Bridge in St. Louis to break ground on the new $667 million Mississippi River Bridge project which is estimated to create 2,200 jobs.
And on April 15 Quinn and Illinois Department of Transportation officials rolled-out a $12.84 billion Multi-Year Highway Improvement Program that is expected to create an estimated 167,000 direct jobs over the next six years.
Through the new Put Illinois to Work program, eligible Illinois residents will be placed in subsidized employment positions with participating worksites for up to six months, learning valuable skills and supporting their families, according to Quinn’s office.
“The program will draw down federal funds that will stimulate the Illinois economy and even more importantly, will help the citizens we serve to gain critical skills in the workforce,” said Illinois Human Services Secretary Michelle Saddler.
Quinn is encouraging private, public and non-profit businesses to sign on with Put Illinois to Work. Eligible participants will be matched to subsidized employment opportunities with these worksites with the aim to transition into an unsubsidized position at the program’s conclusion.
Eligible worksites and participants must meet program criteria and agree to adhere to specific programmatic requirements:
- Participants must be age 18-21, or 18 and over and the parent (custodial or non-custodial) of a minor child.
- All participants must have a household income below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($2,428 per month for a family of two)
- Be legally present and authorized to work.
During the primary campaign against Comptroller Dan Hynes, Quinn focused relentlessly on a “job-creation, job retention” message long before other candidates had sniffed out the issue’s potency. If Quinn can keep his general election message focused on jobs, he may be able to save his own.
For eligibility criteria and additional information on Put Illinois to Work, visit www.PutIllinoistoWork.Illinois.gov.
Gov. Pat Quinn
I can see it now. Work right thru the election. Bring in enough votes, a state job awaits. Plus you get hired early enouogh none of this working till 67 for a pension will affect you.
Posted by Jim Sather | April 26, 2010, 7:09 PMJim,
These aren’t state employees.
David
Posted by David Ormsby | April 26, 2010, 9:38 PMNot yet, as I said the job awaits depending on the turnout provided. No job state job is provided until after the next election. and in Illinois there is always another election.
Posted by Jim Sather | April 27, 2010, 6:17 AMThe question I have is how were the subcontractors for this Put Illinois To Work project selected. In my county of Kankakee where we have published the Kankakee City News since July 2, 1972 and are an African American owned publication, we find it interesting that one of the poorest townships in Illinois and according to the New York Times, in America, is Pembroke Township. Pembroke Township and it’s municipal center the Village of Hopkins Park is 98% African American populated and according to the representative of the Famiy Focus program, that agency which operates out of the city of Chicago has been awarded a state contract through the Illinois Department of Human Service to administer the grant here. What is surprising is that nobody on the Family Focus staff had ever been to either Pembroke or Hopkins Park until they got the contract.
Posted by James Taylor Sr | May 17, 2010, 2:01 PMAlso interesting is that since they have gotten the grant the Family Focus folks have come into the area and hired individuals who also have never spent any time in Pembroke or Hopkins Park to run much of the program here. These individuals are, at least the administrators, are all white individuals and seem to be political hacks of local Democratic Party leaders.
As far as I know, no efforts have been made by the Dept. of Human Services to partner with Pembroke based none-profits like the Kankakee County Youth Intervention Agency to work in the Pembroke and Hopkins Park community to develope Put Illinois to Work but that may be because that agency is not politically affiliated with the Democratic Party. In fact I believe the director of that agency is a registered Republican.
From our prespective the Put Illinois to Work program is a good idea but has fallen victim to the “Pay to Play Politics” and this time Governor Quinn can’t blame it on anyone else, he is directly in the middle of this one!
Well i am for the program put illinois back to work, because i really need to be put back to work,i am an lpn living in illinois just relocated from iowa due to lossing my home and worked as an lpn for 8years and just recently i’ve been having a hard time gaining employment i been unemployed since 10/2009 it’s not because the employers are not hiring it’s because i have an misdemeanor from 7years ago and deferred judgement from 14years ago even though i was cleared to recieved my lpn license and had gained employment in the past with some trouble but never like this,i had loss my home that i lived in for 10years due to an foreclosure,i now live in public housing because i had no income to rent another home or apt.I have been depress for months and basically hid myself from all family and friends because i’m soo embarrased of my situation I love being a nurse and do not want to give up i worked sooo hard to change my life but seems like i can’t get a second chance especailly now,i been applying at so many healthcare agencies,and no one will call me back,so i reccommend a program for individuals who has criminal records that would help them gained employment and work with the employers to just trust people,i need help,i need a job to financially take care of my children i made my mistakes at 18years old and i am now 33 and never had been into trouble since.I am ashamed that some of my friends can not find a job because there just no one hiring,but the field i’m in they are always hiring but i can’t get hired,but i have been cleared to work as an nurse through the state of illinois and iowa both boards of nursing,I am an lpn in Iowa and Illinois and never had this hard of a time gaining employment what’s going on out there!!!!!
Posted by a loss nurse | June 16, 2010, 10:30 PM