Products, processes and business models succeed thanks to the work of employees with the training to bring new ideas to market and the talent to make them even better than you had planned. Innovative programs for developing a workforce with such skills can start locally, with individual company and community college efforts. Here you'll find a library of background information and case studies from corporate, academic and government resources to help guide such efforts.

 

 

National Robotics Champions Featured at Chamber Annual Meeting

Chamber and business community pay tribute to local and future talent by recognizing High School team “WildStang” at event featuring Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer

 

On June 18, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce hosted its 105th Annual Meeting of Membership featuring speakers Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, Jim Tyree, Chairman of the Board, and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.

This successful event included over 1,500 business people who gathered at the Hilton International Ballroom to participate in this year’s theme of “reinventing your business through innovation and entrepreneurship”. The event featured networking tables, Microsoft games and programs, and presentations by speakers and the Chicago 2016 advertising team.
 

 

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Businesses Showcasing Their Passion for Work to Young People

Exposures Academy

Exposures Academy, part of the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology, has started a new program to showcase businesses and people passionate about their work to young people in the Chicago area. The graduate students running this program are looking for people who are willing to spend an hour or two with high school students.

 

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Urban Schools Initiative is Creating Opportunities for Local Students

Science Olympiad

 

For the second year in a row, InnovateNow is partnering with Science Olympiad to expand the Urban Schools Initiative in 21 Chicago Public Schools. Don't miss this great opportunity for you or your organization to provide mentoring, support and expertise to the future science and technology leaders of tomorrow. 

 

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Volunteer Now!

 

 

Accessible Technology Brightens Job Outlook for Chicago Lighthouse Clients

Microsoft Corporation
 

 

Information technology is expanding the opportunities available to people with disabilities in employment, education and other facets of daily life. One driver of this trend is ongoing innovation in the development of accessible technology—software and hardware that help make the computer easier to see, hear and use.
 

 

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Supporting the Next Generation of Innovators

Microsoft Corporation

One of the striking things about human progress is that so many of the world’s most important new ideas have been the work of young people. From Isaac Newton, whose discoveries as a 23-year-old formed the basis for calculus, to Charles Darwin, who surveyed the Galapagos Islands at age 26, and Albert Einstein, who published his paper on relativity at age 26, young people have been responsible for breakthroughs that form the foundation for much of our understanding of how the world works.
 

 

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Accelerating IT Skills and Workforce Development Across Chicago

By Janet Kennedy, General Manager, Midwest District, Microsoft Corporation

 

In today’s information-based economy, employers are increasingly in need of workers who can use digital technology to communicate, collaborate and work as effectively and productively as possible. Experts have predicted that by the year 2014, more than three out of every four jobs in the United States will require some level of computing skill.

 

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