Hope for the Long-Term Unemployed on WGN

WGN asked a question in September 2011 on their Facebook page about the fallout of long-term unemployment.  Did they experience foreclosure, bankruptcy and other less desirable life events?  I responded!  Since then I have been working with an excellent producer to tell the story of the long-term unemployed.  We didn't, however, just want to tell a story about being unemployed; we wanted to tell a story about how, despite all of the adversity, the long-term unemployed are chugging along and trying to become productive, tax paying citizens once again.  The numbers are still against us; when there are millions of people unemployed and only hundreds of thousands of jobs created, there will inevitably be a deficit.

Many of the unemployed are left wondering what to do.  Retraining may be a viable option, especially if you are being retrained in high growth areas.  If you're unemployed, however, you may not have the cash to pay to retrain.  More and more programs are popping up around the country to help.  One such program, of which I am a member and will be highlighted during the segment, is Chicago Career Tech, a job retraining program initiated by Mayor Richard M. Daley and the business community. 

Check out the story during the WGN news at 9pm on Thursday February 2nd and again during various news broadcasts on Friday the 3rd. 

Unemployed?  What have you been doing to get through it?  Were you long-term unemployed (longer than 8 months) and landed something?  What worked for you?  Share it with us all in the comment section below.

Today's Reframe: Corporate America

Last Friday I attended an orientation session for a program into which I've recently been accepted.  The program is run through Chicago Career Tech and supported by large corporations, the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois.  Although I haven't even started the program yet, this orientation was a real turning point for me on my unemployment journey.   I felt it important to share with everyone out there, especially those going through this same journey.

This is a program initiated by organizations like Microsoft, Charter One and other large corporations about 2 years ago in the middle of the Great Recession.  According to the presenters, these business leaders realized a real need for a program like this as a result of a labor shortage.

Labor shortage, you ask?  But, there are millions unemployed and looking for work, you say!  Yes, but many of these organizations cited statistics of large numbers of unfilled vacancies within their organizations.  These position remained unfilled not because there aren't millions of people looking for jobs, but because the millions unemployed do not posses the skills necessary to do the job.  There is a huge skills gap for so many unemployed people despite the organizations that crave to hire more employees.

This explanation was a real positive moment for me.  Throughout this Recession, and my unemployment journey in particular, there has been a lot of negativity:  rejection to the thousands of resumes sent out, rejection from in-person interviews, politicians who blame the unemployed for being unemployed, articles about how companies are actually advertising that the unemployed "need NOT apply" and, most damaging, my fellow employed citizens who comment on stories all over the internet calling us names like lazy, mooching off the system and so on...

Having worked since the age of 14, sometimes at 2 jobs, having gone to college and having done all the 'right' things, everything has felt so incredibly wrong. 

But to hear organizational leaders recognize that the unemployed are not lazy, but ready and willing to work given the right opportunities and given the skills to do the jobs that are in demand actually got me choked up.  I felt that someone "got it."  There are companies who 'want' me.  All the companies out there don't scoff at something that was beyond my control.  They realize that we, the unemployed, are eager to get back to work and get on with their lives!  It was inspiring to hear examples of companies that took on 40+ interns during the program and then offered all of them jobs at the end of the program!

So I begin my program in just over a week in Social Media Marketing at Tribeca Flashpoint Academy.  At the end, I am expected to obtain certifications in Google Adwords and SEO.  I'm so very excited because I love social media and I have always loved marketing.  I am also excited because this is the "now" and this is the future.  I'm excited that I'm entering a (hopefully) stable area of the market so as to avoid ever having to endure unemployment and all its challenges again.

On a side note, this program is being constantly evaluated and studied across the country.  It is being looked at as a potential model for other states to get people back to work.

I would like to encourage you, especially if you are in Chicago, to mention this program to your company.  Your company can be part of the solution to getting America working again.  They may not be able to hire a student after the program, but the experience gained during the internship will be so important to the student and a stepping stone to get them back to full time work.  Please consider passing along this site to your boss or HR department and encourage them to participate!

Be a Part of the Solution

Recently I've heard a lot of everyday Americans ponder the question: What can I do to help the unemployed.  There's a good chance that if you're reading this post you are either unemployed or know someone who is.  If you ARE employed and have friends or family members who are unemployed, you likely feel powerless and frustrated seeing your loved ones go through such difficult times.

So, what can you do to help?  I have a few suggestions that do not take a whole lot of effort on your part, but could make a huge impact.

If you live in Chicago, I'd like you to check out the Chicago Career Tech website.  I learned about this organization a few months ago via a WGN news segment.  Being unemployed myself, I contacted them and went through the process.  I'm happy to announce that I've been accepted into their program to earn a certificate in Social Media Marketing! 

The organization offers certification courses (at many city colleges and other accredited institutions) and the chance to work hands-on with a company in the target field to prepare to re-enter the job market with improved, updated skills.  What an opportunity! 

So what can you do?  Well, while you may not be a decision-maker at your organization, you CAN pass this site along to your manager or HR department and encourage them to become a partner with CCT.  It's an amazing and positive PR opportunity for your company to be one of the few being a part of the solution to our terrible unemployment situation in our country!