December 18, 2015 (Peoria, IL) – The CEO Council announces the launch of the Greater Peoria Works program. The Greater Peoria Works program is a web-based initiative that encourages area employers to provide work experiences through employment opportunities to our community’s greatest resource…our youth. The website, located at www.greaterpeoria.works, will serve as a connection between Peoria area employers and high school and college aged youth looking for employment and job experiences.
Using metrics developed by the CEO Council, Bill Cirone, CEO of Federal Warehouse Companies and CEO Council member, stated. “In comparison to peer and aspirational cities, Greater Peoria has seen a decline in employment growth. We have a shortage of young employees with necessary job and life skills. Oftentimes, we must hire employees from outside Greater Peoria or retrain under-skilled labor at greater expense to our organizations. Our community needs a solution to having meaningful relationships between our area businesses and our youth.”
With the focus on improving technical training and job preparedness, the Greater Peoria Works program will encourage and assist area employers with providing 1,000 non-permanent, recurring jobs or work-based learning opportunities to area high school and college students and assist them in developing job-related skills and attitudes. These opportunities may include full-time, part-time, seasonal, internships, apprenticeships, co-ops and job shadowing opportunities, both paid and unpaid. These work-based learning opportunities will be housed on the Greater Peoria Work website for all Peoria area student to review.
Jim Lynch, President of the CEO Council, shared both the immediate and long-tem benefits of the program. “With the launch of this website, area youth will have a conduit to our businesses for job experience, life skills training and a connection to long term employment. Businesses will benefit from access to available employees. Ultimately, our community will benefit from an educated, highly motivated, and locally trained workforce which will result in retaining and attracting employers and employees to our region.”
Companies interested in posting jobs to the Greater Peoria Works website should contact Ashley Taylor at ataylor@peoriabusiness.org. High school and college aged applicants interested in work experience opportunities should visited the Greater Peoria Works website at www.greaterpeoria.works.
WEEK News 25
WMBD 31 News
1470 WMBD Radio
