FAQ for Applicants

If you have further questions about the Chicago Career tech program, please click here.

What is Chicago Career Tech?

Chicago Career Tech is a no cost job-retraining initiative that strives to close the workforce skills gap. It provides unemployed middle-income Chicago residents with pathways to employment at local businesses with immediate hiring needs. Chicago Career Tech also offers a three- to six-month career training program that includes the quality, hands-on training, education and career counseling necessary for participants to obtain and succeed in high-demand technology-based careers.

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What is the difference between the Career Training and Pathways to Employment programs?

Pathways to Employment are corporate-based programs that offer participants skills-based training at a local business with immediate hiring needs. The Career Training program is education-based and offers certified classroom training from leading educational institutions and career and professional services. All programs provide participants with hands-on experience with a Chicago-based business or nonprofit organization and unlimited opportunities to grow professional networks.

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What is the cost of this program?

There is no cost to participate in the program. Once accepted into the program, Chicago Career Tech covers the cost of applicable program elements, including training, hands-on learning and career services.

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What are the qualifications?

Chicago Career Tech applicants must meet and provide appropriate documentation for all of the following core minimum qualifications.

Legal right to work in the United States
Resident of the City of Chicago
Minimum of a high school degree, GED certificate or higher level of education
Unemployed (no earlier than January 1, 2008) with previous annual salary of $25,000* to $90,000 (NEW!)
Eligible to collect or have exhausted unemployment insurance (UI) benefits in the State of Illinois

*The minimum salary requirement may be waived for U.S. military veterans.

Applicants for Chicago Career Tech must also be:

Able to pass criminal background check and drug test
Not enrolled in another job training program during the duration of the Chicago Career Tech program
Not a previous Chicago Career Tech program participant (not applicable to the Allscripts or SPR Companies Pathways to Employment)
Available for and committed to the five or six-day-a-week, up to six month program beginning spring 2012

Applicants must submit the following required documentation to complete their online applications:

Resume
Proof of City of Chicago residency (a copy of a valid driver’s license or a valid state identification card and your December 2011 or January 2012 utility or credit card bill)
Proof of Illinois unemployment insurance (UI) benefits or exhausted UI benefits (copy of most recent Benefit Payment Detail Report or UI Benefit Paystub)
Proof confirming previous annual salary in the range of $25,000-$90,000 (copy of last employer paystub from the job you were laid off)
Proof of military service (applicable only if necessary to prove salary eligibility)

Individuals may be asked on occasion to provide additional verification.

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Do I need to live in Chicago to be eligible? If I do not live in Chicago, are there similar programs for me?

Yes, you must be a resident of the City of Chicago to participate in the program. You will be required to provide documentation proving you are a resident of the City of Chicago (a copy of a valid driver’s license or a valid state identification card and your December 2011 or January 2012 utility or credit card bill).

If you are not a Chicago resident, please visit the Illinois Department of Employment Security / Illinois workNet and Illinois Skills Match websites, where you can find additional information about job training and career opportunities.

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Can previous Chicago Career Tech participants apply for Group 5?

Previous Chicago Career Tech participants will not be considered for participation in the Career Training programs, and should not apply to the Group 5 Career Training application.

For Pathways to Employment programs, eligibility for previous CCT participants varies by program:
Allscripts: Previous participants may apply
Accretive Health: Previous participants may not apply
SPR Companies: Previous participants may not apply
CareerBuilder: Previous participants may apply

If you are a previous participant applying for either Allscripts or CareerBuilder, please note this when asked on the Pathways to Employment application.

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I am currently under-employed, working part-time/at a job paying considerably less than my previous salary. Do I qualify?

If you are underemployed, currently receiving some level of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, and meet all of the other qualifications, then you are eligible to apply for the Chicago Career Tech program. If accepted into the program, are working part-time and your employer cannot provide a full-time position, please be sure to request a leave of absence to participate in a job retraining program in order to protect your UI benefits while participating in the Chicago Career Tech program.

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How do I apply?

All Chicago Career Tech applications must be submitted online. Please click here to apply now.

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When is the deadline for applications?

There are multiple deadlines for the Chicago Career Tech spring 2012 sessions dependent on the program you are interested in applying for:

Allscripts Pathway to Employment applications are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, February 14, 2012.
SPR Companies Pathway to Employment applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, February 24, 2012
Accretive Health Pathways to Employment applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 2, 2012.
CareerBuilder Pathway to Employment applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 23, 2012.
Career Training program applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 23, 2012.

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What if I submitted my application online and now realize I made a mistake?

Previous applicants can correct application mistakes by clicking here. Please use the password you created to apply for the program to log back into the application and make the appropriate change.

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May I deliver my application attachments to Chicago Career Tech?

All application attachments should be submitted online with the application or scanned and e-mailed to cct@nationalrecruitmentcenter.com. If you are unable to scan your documents, please e-mail cct@nationalrecruitmentcenter.com for further instructions.

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What happens after I submit my application?

Upon successful submission of your application, a confirmation will be sent to the e-mail address you provided. For applications submitted by the appropriate deadline (see above), you will be contacted by late February or March if selected to interview for the Pathways to Employment program or by April if selected to interview for the Career Training program.

Prior to selection to the Chicago Career Tech program, you will need to successfully complete the following:

Telephone and in-person interviews and testing
Provide proof of legal right to work in the U.S., a high school degree, GED or highest level of education, and a copy of your social security card
Criminal background check
Drug test
Your hands-on learning assignment may require additional tests, including a medical exam
Eligibility for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Individual Training Account (ITA) vouchers*
Other forms, documents, and/or checks required by employers (for Pathways to Employment programs) or hands-on learning hosts (for Career Training programs)

*Dependent on certain criteria, dislocated workers may be eligible for WIA ITA, an additional training voucher that can be applied towards classroom training for the program. If selected for the program, you will have the opportunity to meet with a WIA provider who will assist with accessing your WIA ITA should you be eligible.

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What are the selection criteria?

Decisions for entry will be made based on the results of the interview and testing, review of the application materials, successful background and drug screen test results, eligibility, interest and available openings for training paths. Consideration will also be determined based on previous participation in the Workforce Investment Act system, if applicable.

For corporate-based Pathways to Employment programs, selection is also based on the participating employer’s screening process, which may include resume review, phone screens, or panel interviews.

In the event that the number of fully qualified individuals who have met all criteria exceeds the number of spots, priority consideration will be determined based on the original submission date of the completed application.

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I was contacted for an interview, who can I call to arrange that?

Please call our recruitment partner People Scout at 1-866-492-8821. Due to space limitations, interviews do not take place at Chicago Career Tech’s offices.

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When does the program begin?

Chicago Career Tech’s next session of Pathways to Employment is scheduled to begin in late March or April 2012 and the career training session will begin in late May 2012.

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What is a WIA ITA?

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Individuals Training Accounts (ITA) are vouchers that are used to pay for occupation-based training. Eligible individuals can access this funding through WIA One-Stop providers. If you are accepted into the CCT program, CCT will work with WIA providers to determine your eligibility for an ITA voucher and access the ITA to fund the training portion of the CCT program.

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What is a WIA provider?

A Workforce Investment Act (WIA) provider is a One-Stop delegate agency that provides services to workers that are searching for a job. These services include access to funding for occupation-based training. If you are accepted in the Chicago Career Tech program and are already enrolled in WIA through a One-Stop provider, you may continue to work with that provider during the program. If you have not previously received WIA services, Chicago Career Tech will work with WIA providers to determine your eligibility for an Individual Training Account (ITA) voucher and access the ITA to fund the training portion of the program.

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I have children who need care. Is there a child care program for participants?

While Chicago Career Tech does not offer a child care program, we have developed a referral option to the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago which has 12 child care locations across the Chicago area. Dependent on your family income status, there is a sliding fee scale which the YMCA can discuss with you.

All YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago sites are licensed by the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago. Depending on specific sites, programs are available for children six months to 12 years. For more information about programs, please go to http://www.ymcachgo.org/programs/childcare.php. A directory of locations can be found at http://www.ymcachgo.org/locations/directory.php?pnl=1_4

If you are interested in talking with the YMCA about potential child care spots and the sliding fees, please contact Dorothy Cole-Gary, Director of Children’s Services at 773-265-3900 or Dorothy_cole-gary@ymcachgo.org

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Am I guaranteed a job when I finish the program?

Chicago Career Tech does not guarantee employment. Career Training provides participants with a new set of skills and hands-on experience that result in making participants more competitive in the job market. Career training tracks are chosen based on occupations with high demand in the Chicago area. Pathways to Employment are offered by hiring employers and based on their current hiring need, participants may be considered for employment in their corporate program, but are not guaranteed to receive a job offer from the providing employer or from any other employer.

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Is there a stipend with this program?

Participants in the Chicago Career Tech program will be eligible to continue certification and collection of Illinois Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits if they have not been exhausted. Chicago Career Tech will offer a daily stipend of $50.00 to participants. As required by Illinois law, the amount of the stipend will be offset by the amount of UI benefits that one is eligible to collect. Some participants may not qualify for a stipend due to the offset in benefits. Finally, if a participant exhausts their UI during the program, the participant will become eligible for a stipend.

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