By Juliette Jardim
June 28, 2010

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley spoke to the nation's mayors June 12 during the Business Plenary Breakfast of the 78th Annual Conference of Mayors. During his remarks, Daley emphasized the importance of engaging the business community through investments in education and the local workforce system.

"The challenges we see, in our own cities, in our states, in our nation, is the uncertainty of the economy, and that really frightens most people" said Daley. He spoke of mayors- struggles during the current recession, how the current unemployment crisis manifests itself in our cities and what local governments can do to address this problem.

"We know that the people are angry, and they should be angry. You have to take what they-re upset with and be able to change it. And so how do you create jobs? How do you really create new jobs?" Daley asked. The answer, Daley explained, is that the role of job creation lies with the business community, not the government. The role of government is to partner with and support the private sector.

Daley spoke of the approach of his local Workforce Investment Council, a partnership of education, community colleges and government. The agreement between the council and the business community is, "You tell us what you need in the private sector and we train people for those jobs."

Daley stressed the benefits of this approach, saying that the strength of the local workforce is a major factor in a business- decision to invest in a city. He noted that investing in training also benefits the "forgotten middle class," who have been laid off during the recession. Mayor Daley gave the example of Chicago, where a majority of laid-off workers do not have up-to-date technology skills.

In Chicago, Daley has begun attracting businesses by building a "local talent pool" in emerging industries through the Chicago Career Tech program. He plans to train or retrain 30,000 people through the program.

Daley also discussed the importance of vocational and technical programs in local public schools. He believes that one major reason for off'shoring is public education cuts in vocational training programs with an emphasis on all students attending college instead of working with their hands. He stressed his support for high school vocational programs, saying, "We are basically saying that there are job opportunities for you."

Another key component of Chicago's career preparation system is the online education program, which Daley described as part of "a revolution in education." During the summer, these courses can be accessed throughout the city in such places as high schools and the public library.

"Generating jobs and growth in our cities is the key," Daley exclaimed, "This is a restructuring of all the things we believe in local government and all the things we believe in our cities. If you don-t realize the problems, if you don-t get ahead of the changing times, you stand still."