Olive-Harvey College is at the forefront of shaping the future of Chicago’s transportation, distribution, and logistics (TDL) sector—and with the support of a grant awarded this week through the Good Jobs Challenge, that work is set to expand.
This week, the United States Economic Development Administration announced the awardees of its $500 million Good Jobs Challenge grant. The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership received over 18 million dollars to support workforce development in the region. As one of the lead partners of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, Olive-Harvey College will receive funds to head up TDL workforce development in the city of Chicago.
“Thanks to generous support from the Good Jobs Challenge grant, Olive-Harvey College will continue to lead the way in the transportation, distribution, and logistics sector together with the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership,” said Dr. Brandon Nichols, Senior Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Olive-Harvey College.
The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership was one of 32 grant recipients selected from a competitive, national pool of over 500 applicants. Industry-led workforce training partnerships like it were awarded funds across the country with the goal of securing job opportunities for more than 50,000 Americans.
“A trained workforce is essential to ensuring that the United States can compete and succeed in the 21st century,” said United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in a statement Tuesday.
Through the partnership, Olive-Harvey College and the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago will leverage Olive-Harvey’s existing programs and work with employer partners to train Chicagoans for in-demand jobs that pay strong wages. These efforts will not only support our city’s un and underemployed residents, but they will help to increase the supply of trained workers who are essential to local and national supply chains, global competitiveness, and regional development.
“Ensuring a robust TDL workforce is essential to the region’s and country’s supply chain,” said Cheryl Freeman Smith, Dean of Career and Continuing Education in Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics at Olive-Harvey College. “We are grateful for the opportunity to continue to lead the region in this work.”
