RiseKit Case Study: How Chicago Urban League Streamlines Workforce Development

Transforming Workforce Development at Chicago Urban League

We sat down with Pierre, Senior Employment Specialist, at Chicago Urban League to discuss how RiseKit is transforming their workforce development program. Here's what he had to say --

How does the Chicago Urban League serve the community?

Chicago Urban League supports and empowers over 15,000 residents annually through workforce development, job and career support, housing, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and community wellness programs.

What is your role at Chicago Urban League?

I’m a Sector Employment Specialist on the Workforce Development team.

How many team members does Chicago Urban League have?

We have just under 100 staff members total.

How many participants do you work with on a monthly basis?

I work with over 100 clients/month.

What critical jobs does RiseKit help you fulfill during your day?

• Case Management: It helps me manage a huge, growing case load because I can categorize clients (out of the 4k that we serve) into different buckets like “job seeking,” “employed,” and “not responsive."
• Client Communication: I can do everything in one place and have all I need to help my clients in easy reach vs. cabinets of files. I save a ton of time sending a mass message to all my clients with messages that need to reach everybody I work with.
  
• Work Capacity: I see the employers on RiseKit as my teammates. They help me expand my ability to help the people I serve find and apply to the right jobs by reaching out directly to my clients through the Chat tool.

What’s your RiseKit process?

1. Clients come to orientation to gain access to any/all of our services every Thursday.
2. They are put into RiseKit by our Intake Coordinator during orientation and we add their registration documents, ID, resume, etc. into the files section.
3. From there, they attend a 5-day/week training program called "Success Strategies" to learn about financial literacy, interview vocabulary, resume building, interviewing techniques, and more.
4. Using RiseKit and the names added during orientation, our Training & Development Coordinator is able to know the names of those in the upcoming cohort of “Success Strategies.”
5. Once they complete the program, final notes are entered about each individual in RiseKit (They were excited, they contributed, etc.).
6. Upon completion of that program (and if they choose to pursue employment), clients are directed to me to help them write or revise a resume, with interview coaching, and explore opportunities.
7. I am assigned through RiseKit which triggers an email from the Coordinator to me with notes.

Client Management

1. Once assigned, I organize my clients by creating tabs in RiseKit. I’ll tag each of my clients with “Pierre” and “job seeking” so I can navigate directly to the people I work with.
2. Meeting the client for the first time, I’ll go to their profile. I’ll see the notes passed along from intake and Success Strategies.
3. I’ll start a Chat with the client introducing myself, confirm what they had mentioned as their goals during orientation, and provide instructions on setting up their RiseKit account and uploading their resume. I then send a RiseKit invitation to their phone number/email.
4. Once they upload their resume, I'll mention that they are now enrolled in RiseKit's Recommendation Engine which will help them get in front of employers. I push them to explore the resources available in RiseKit and apply to any jobs that they like. 
5. I’ll check in on a regular basis and set up any new appointments using RIseKit's Chat feature. This is how I communicate with my clients most of the time.
6. Once a client becomes employed, I add a new tag (“employed”) to their profile which allows me to separate my priorities and work more efficiently among the hundreds of clients under my name.

Check out some of the resources that Chicago Urban League offers through RiseKit:

• Workforce Development Programs: Chicago Urban League
• Opportunity Works Youth Jobs Initiative

Interested in learning more about how RiseKit can help you streamline job placements and enhance communication?

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