DES PLAINES – With millions of Illinoisans out of work due to the COVID-19 outbreak, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) encourages residents to take advantage of a new online career training program for jobs in the information technology industry.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has hit our workforce particularly hard,” said Murphy. “As the state begins to recover, the Workforce Recovery Initiative could help Illinoisans return to the job market with new, in-demand skills and find a great career.”

Partnering with Coursera, an online learning platform, Illinois is one of the first states to make online job training courses free to residents through their Workforce Recovery Initiative. Now through September residents can apply online to enroll in over 3,800 industry-certified courses offered by accredited institutions. To receive credit, all courses must be completed by Dec. 31.

If you are interested in career opportunities outside the information technology industry, Get Hired Illinois is an online job portal that has over 60,000 listings available in a variety of industries.

CHICAGO—A South Side community came together for a parade to celebrate 17-year-old Sierra Rogers’ recovery after fighting COVID-19 for nearly eight weeks.

Sierra J. Rogers received treatment for the coronavirus at Rush University Medical Center from March 27 until May 20. Sierra then spent time at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab to help rebuild her strength after fighting the virus.

Ivy, who also overcame COVID-19, says it was an uphill battle, but Sierra is overjoyed to finally be home.

“Sierra is truly a fighter. She somehow maintained her bright and bubbly personality through it all,” Ivy said. “She built relationships with the staff at Rush, who went to great lengths to care and comfort her. Sierra is thrilled to finally be home and so grateful for everyone who has supported her in this journey to recovery.”

CHICAGO— State Senator Elgie R. Sims Jr. (D-Chicago), other black leaders and the governor took to the South Suburbs Saturday to call for action regarding police brutality and systemic racism.

“The fight is not over until black communities are finally prioritized and fear isn't felt in the presence of law enforcement,” Sims said. “Leaders on all levels have to come together to fix our broken system, so that it reflects that black lives do in fact matter. Our communities are entitled to fair resources and justice.”

The event at 1550 Sibley Blvd in Calumet City was the third in a series of four events organized by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus in response to racial acts of violence against individuals like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. Face masks, food, water and Census resources were provided.

Sims vowed to continue fighting until people of all backgrounds are treated the same.

“I remain committed to work with the people of the 17^th District, local leaders and people within the system itself to truly reform our criminal justice system. We will achieve progress together,” Sims said.

The next and final day of action in the series will be in the West Suburbs on Sunday, June 7. The event is from noon to 1 p.m. at 300 Oak St. 

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) joins the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Office of Broadband to announce the new Illinois Connected Communities grant program.

The program is designed to assist local governments, schools and community organizations with building broadband capacity. The $150,000 grant opportunity will help communities close existing gaps and lay the groundwork for improved broadband access, adoption and utilization. The grants will be provided on a competitive basis, and applications will be accepted here through June 12.

“The pandemic has really magnified the challenges that people who have a lack of internet access have dealt with,” Bennett said. “As we continue to face this crisis, it’s clear that access to broadband is a necessity for people to access education, healthcare, jobs and even state benefits.”

This latest grant program builds on the capital commitment made through Connect Illinois, which includes a $400 million investment, and is aimed at improving access to broadband for the entire state. The first $50 million of this investment is expected to be awarded in the coming weeks.

A product of partnership between the Illinois Office of Broadband and the Evanston-based Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, the Illinois Connected Communities program is designed to engage a first-year cohort of communities through best practice curriculum, expert consultation, and up to $15,000 for initial community planning and capacity building. By collaborating with the Benton Institute and area philanthropy, the State of Illinois will leverage additional funds of at least an equal amount to provide expert consultations and best practices curriculum available to the grantees.

Grantees will participate in a combination of focused in-person and/or online community-specific, cohort-wide, and regional activities throughout a period of up to 12-months. These activities will involve a representative community broadband steering committee, and build toward creation of a community-driven Broadband Strategic Plan. At any point during the program communities may invest their grant funding toward one or more of the following:

• Connected Community staff time or overhead,
• Study, planning, or preparation for broadband access, adoption or utilization,
• Additional broadband-related support, technical assistance or consultative services.

Communities seeking more information on the grants program are encouraged to tune in to the Developing Broadband Leadership webinar series, a collaborative effort among the Illinois Office of Broadband, the Benton Institute and University of Illinois Extension. Live webinars invite national experts, community leaders, and broadband providers from across Illinois to connect. The next webinar is at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The first meeting was held last week, with Governor JB Pritzker providing opening remarks and encouraging communities to take advantage of the state’s broadband grant programs, as well as other Office of Broadband resources. Register for future webinars and gain access to archived materials here.