One-Stop Operator Systemwide Update
Local Workforce Innovation Area (LWIA 7)
One-Stop Operator
Systemwide Update:
PY 2025 - 2nd Quarter
(October 1 - December 31, 2024)
Dear Partners,
We appreciate your continued collaboration and dedication to enhancing service delivery and integration. We are grateful to work alongside staff across the Chicago and suburban Cook County American Job Center (AJC) Network as your LWIA 7 One-Stop Operator (OSO).
Thank you to everyone who completed the six-month Partner Feedback Survey that went out after the December Systemwide gathering. Participants said that in 2025, the OSO team should continue providing training opportunities and hosting panels at our quarterly meetings!
“These technical assistance days are great, and the online resources are extremely helpful.” - LWIA 7 partner feedback
Many respondents are newer to the network and are excited to learn more. The next survey will be conducted in June 2025.
Most notable from the last quarter:
On December 4, 2024, the OSO team trained The Partnership staff, including Relationship Managers, on several tools, including AirTable and Customer Satisfaction surveys. This OSO 101 training set the foundation for greater alignment between the OSO and The Partnership’s Relationship Managers.
The OSO hosted an in-person Systemwide meeting on December 13, 2024, at the AJC at Prairie State College. The gathering included a panel of experts working alongside System-Impacted individuals within the public workforce system.
Thank you to our subject matter experts Avalon Betts with ILL Alliance for Re-entry & Justice, Durant Freeman with Safer Foundation, Charles Hardwick and Jordan Coley with Howard Area Community Center, and our moderator Kylin Decker, Program Director at Workforce Funders Alliance.
Lastly, as part of continued business service engagement efforts, the Hospitality & Tourism and Healthcare Sector Centers (Pyramid Partnership and EQUUS, respectively) were onboarded to the Airtable Referrals System!
We provide Systemwide Updates quarterly (March, June, September, and December) and post to our learning management system, Disco, along with the partner directories.
This quarter’s Systemwide Update features additional information in the OSO Meetings, Communications, and Cross-Training Sections. If you have questions, please contact the OSO Navigation team at oso@scalelit.org.
One-Stop Operator
OSO Navigation Team
700 N. Sacramento Blvd., Suite 120, Chicago, IL 60612
Updates:
Regular OSO Meetings and Communications
Cross-Training
Customer Satisfaction
Universal Referral System
Business Services
AJC Orientation and Materials
Regular OSO Meetings and Communications
Consistent and quality communication is the foundation of service integration. OSO engages partners monthly and streamlines resource sharing in Chicago and suburban Cook County. Please visit Disco for more information or to access the partner directory. The OSO team has invited everyone in the LWIA 7 directory to the Disco systemwide space, but if you have not yet registered as a Disco member, please contact the appropriate navigator contact below. So far, 38% of individuals in the directory have registered in Disco, and we look forward to that number increasing (188/500).
The four comprehensive AJCs host all in-person technical assistance and hybrid Center-level meetings. OSO schedules partner meetings at the beginning of each year and follows a consistent meeting framework.:
Technical assistance in-person meetings:
Technical assistance aims to address specific needs and find real-time solutions for partners. Activities include support with customer satisfaction surveys, Airtable referrals, Disco, Facilities, and more.
If you want to learn about the upcoming technical assistance day closest to you, please email oso@scalelit.org.
Center-level hybrid meetings:
Agenda items include reviewing Airtable Data and Customer Survey Dashboard, Center Priorities, Upcoming Events, and Partner Updates.
If you would like to request time to share an update or are interested in participating in a meeting, contact:
Candace Gray, candace@scalelit.org, for AJC at Prairie State College
Germania Solorzano, germania@scalelit.org, for AJC in Pilsen
Mandeep Kaur Cuautle, mandeep@scalelit.org, for AJC in Wheeling
Carla Mosby, carla@scalelit.org, for AJC at the King Center
Systemwide meetings:
Agenda items vary based on trending workforce development topics, funding opportunities, or OSO project developments.
Visit Disco to RSVP and access Systemwide meeting details. Click this link to visit the upcoming events calendar in Disco.
If you want to learn more about Systemwide meetings or propose topics, please contact the OSO Navigation team at oso@scalelit.org.
Every month, the OSO team sends resource newsletters for the comprehensive centers. Please continue sending your resources to oso@scalelit.org if you want the community partners to stay aware of your program or events.
2025 Partner Meeting Schedule
March: Systemwide VIRTUAL Meeting: March 13 at 10:00 a.m
April: On-site technical support at Comprehensive AJCs
May: 4 Center-level Hybrid Meetings
June: Systemwide In-Person Meeting: June 19 at 10:00 a.m
Cross-Training
Cross-training educates staff on the AJC Network and Partner programs. Cross-training will incorporate best practices in workforce development and OSO tools available throughout Chicago and Cook County.
As we develop additional cross-training content, OSO uploads recordings and materials to Disco. This platform enables us to compile a collection of partner cross-training resources, promote upcoming one-stop events, monitor staff engagement, and onboard new partners to our tools, such as the Airtable referral system.
Partners can look forward to new developments in Disco that will make Airtable referrals onboarding and cross-training more accessible to our partners.
188 partners have joined the Disco LWIA 7 Systemwide Partner Space, with 15 additional network partners joining in the last quarter. If you are not currently a Disco user, please reach out for an invite.
Partner Join Rate = 5 new users per month ( steady rate since July 2024)
Engagement Rate = 28 active users on average per month
Goal Join Rate by June Report (January 1- March 30, 2025) = 10 new users per month
Goal Engagement = 50 active users per month
This quarter, the team hosted Kelly Brown from the Hospitality and Tourism Sector at the February Center-level meetings for cross-training. The presentation recording and materials are available on Disco.
The OSO will close this quarter by hosting the Chicago Jobs Council (CJC) as subject matter experts in our field to provide policy updates for the workforce landscape. Future cross-training sessions include Illinois Job Link, Partner Programs, Unhoused Job Seeker Career Pathways, and Business Services. We remain dedicated to enhancing our training offerings and expanding our impact.
Upcoming Cross-Training Schedule:
March Systemwide - Policy Updates for the Workforce Landscape
April - InService Learning Circle: Money Matters with the Resurrection Project
May - Center-level meeting Healthcare Sector Center Spotlight
June Systemwide - In-Person Gathering, Location TBD
Customer Satisfaction Survey
The Customer Satisfaction Survey standardizes the collection of feedback and simplifies survey administration.
Onsite Survey collects feedback from job seekers who walk into an American Job Center or related site.
Methods of Onsite Survey Collection: QR Code on Flyers, Resource Room Computers, and iPads.
Workshop Survey collects feedback from job seekers who attend a workshop or event hosted by a partner.
Methods of Workshop Survey Collection: QR Code and survey links in follow-up emails.
The OSO team can provide customized survey links, QR Codes, and flyers unique to a particular site, organization, or event. The OSO team will provide appropriate details after receiving the request:
Click here to request a customized Workshop Survey link and QR Code.
Partners can visit the LWIA 7 Systemwide Partner Space on Disco to access the live interactive dashboard anytime. OSO shares this dashboard during all center-level meetings and will send raw survey data to the appropriate partners quarterly or by request.
If you have questions about customer satisfaction surveys, data, posters, etc., contact the OSO team directly at oso@scalelit.org.
Customer Satisfaction Survey Metrics:
Overall
13 Onsite Surveys
10,000+ Total Onsite Survey Responses, Overall Satisfaction Rating of 4.83 (1-5 Scale), and a Net Promoter Score of 9.52 (1-10 Scale),
3 Workshop Surveys
5,000+ Total Workshop Survey Responses, Overall Satisfaction Rating of 4.6 (1-5 Scale), and a Net Promoter Score of 8.62 (1-10 Scale)
Quarter
(October 1 - December 31, 2024)
~550 Total Onsite Survey Responses, Overall Satisfaction Rating of 4.88 (1-5 Scale), and a Net Promoter Score of 9.65 (1-10 Scale),
850+ Total Workshop Survey Responses, Overall Satisfaction Rating of 4.74 (1-5 Scale), and a Net Promoter Score of 9.3 (1-10 Scale)
Total individual Onsite surveys are down by ~250 from the previous quarter.
Total individual workshop surveys remain steady quarter to quarter
One additional workshop survey was requested since the last report
NPS for both the quarter’s On-site & Workshop surveys exceed the target of 9/10
NPS: the likelihood that an individual will recommend AJC or workshop to someone in their community.
“I am beyond grateful for the help the staff gave me. [They] spent a lot of time with me and made sure all my questions were answered and I had all the resources I needed.” Customer served by AJC in Wheeling
“When I entered the office… I was greeted with a very warm and sincere welcome, [the AJC staffer] was very knowledgeable...and made everything easy to understand… Please feel free to contact me for my experience” Customer served by AJC in Pilsen
“My career coach has been extremely helpful and patient during this process.” Customer served by AJC at Prairie State College
Universal Referral System
Airtable Metrics:
Total Referrals Sent (July 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024): 4300+ Referrals
Referrals from October 1 - December 31, 2024
Referrals sent this quarter: +2000
Referrals Completed: ~450
Referrals Closed: ~1,000
Referrals in Progress: ~450
The rate of completion has continued to improve steadily: 17% December 2023 >> 22% December 2024
Contributions include:
Partner Program Cross-training
Increase in system usage by a larger variety of partners
Increase in Technical Support
Rate of closure has improved by 20%: 82% closed December 2023 >> 52% closed December 2024
*Referral Completed is the status option used when the Receiving Partner confirms the referred customer successfully completed the appropriate steps to move forward (i.e., attending an orientation or one-on-one meeting or otherwise receiving services)
**Referral Closed is the status option used when the Receiving Partner cannot contact the customer after three attempts or when the customer does not receive services
The Airtable Referral System allows OSO and the AJC Network to view real-time data and referrals across 63 LWIA 7 organizations and agencies.
In 2024, OSO onboarded more partner organizations while facilitating concurrent cross-training to establish clear referral pathways. In 2025, Airtable Onboarding will continue as the team identifies points of contact that will receive referral submissions. Please review the most up-to-date Airtable User Guide or attend an upcoming onboarding for more information. Please contact ema@scalelit.org if you would like to join an upcoming onboarding.
With the launch of the Partnership’s LevelUp AJC Campaign, OSO restructured the Airtable space to include two referral forms: the Partner Referral Form and the Career Seeker Interest Form. Both forms will send referral information to the Airtable database. As of the end of February 2025, the site had more than 44,000 views, with more than 2,600 career seekers and nearly 60 employers using the platform to complete a connection with an AJC.
If you have questions about Airtable, please attend the Airtable Office Hours on Tuesdays between 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm. Use this link to join the Zoom Airtable Office Hours.
If you need technical assistance outside of Airtable Office Hours, use the Airtable Help Desk Ticket Form to submit a request. To submit a Help Desk Ticket, partners should have completed the Partner Referral Form at least once, either during Onboarding or to refer a client to another partner for services.
The OSO prioritizes our partners' feedback and has finalized a new universal partner referral form that is ADA-compliant. The form allows more access to partners who utilize text-to-talk and tabbing or need higher contrast. Additionally, partners can now complete referrals in English or Spanish.
Business Services
The Business Services Project identifies the priorities and conditions of business services staff across LWIA 7.
In 2023, OSO conducted the Inventory and Assessment (I&A) Survey with Business Services staff. We will perform a similar survey with Employer contacts shared by Business Services teams throughout the network.
In October 2023, The Partnership and OSO launched the Business Services Interest Form in Airtable. OSO created a space in Airtable to gather information, engage with employers outside their current network, and create new partnerships. So far, 52 new employer partners have connected with Business Services staff through the Business Services Interest Form.
The OSO is committed to incorporating all four Sector Centers into the Airtable referral system to connect universal clients to sector employer partners. As of February 2025, the Healthcare, and Hospitality and Tourism Sectors can receive universal clients via Airtable referrals.
The business services working group will reconvene in 2025 to continue the next steps of the Inventory and Assessment. If you want to participate in any upcoming Business Services working group activities, contact the OSO team at oso@scalelit.org.
AJC Orientation and Materials
The AJC Orientation and Materials provide a standardized orientation video and informational materials representing all partner services available at the AJCs.
All materials are available in English and Spanish for staff and participants. For more information about the AJC Orientation and Materials, refer to the AJC Manual Volume 2.5 and the Systemwide Cross-training Space in Disco.
AJC Orientation Video
The AJC Orientation Video is a ten-minute pre-recorded presentation covering all of AJC Network’s offerings. All partners can use it to educate staff and participants who wish to learn more about the network.
Click here for the English Video. Click here for the Spanish Video.
ABOUT US
ScaleLIT is the One-Stop Operator for Chicago and Cook County.
Email: oso@scalelit.org
Learn more: scalelit.org/oso
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