For those who work, employment is the foundation of self-sufficiency.

Illinois workers face two sets of challenges in securing good jobs that set them on the path to self-sufficiency. First, both short- and long-term economic shifts have led to a less stable job market and fewer job openings. Second, many workers have education and skills deficits as well as other barriers to employment that leave them ill-equipped to advance up the career ladder into better-paying jobs.

Strategies for bolstering the path toward self-sufficiency in Illinois require attention in two areas: on the one hand, we must build a skilled workforce. On the other, we must ensure that there are good, quality job opportunities available and that there are natural linkages between workforce development, education, and training opportunities, and jobs:

• Ensure that programs for the hardest to employ—those with the greatest barriers to securing work—are implemented and funded to scale. These programs include the key workforce education and training programs of Transitional Jobs, Job Training and Economic Development grants, and the Employment Opportunity Grant program. 
• Blend adult basic skills education and English language services with postsecondary education and training, including more emphasis on advisory services, college success courses, peer support, and other student support and on providing career pathways to explicitly prepare people for the next level of education and employment.
• Ensure that flexible, need-based financial aid is available to adult learners in a variety of educational/training arrangements (e.g., part-time students who work).
• Seek ways to strengthen the alignment between workforce development and economic development. Create and support regional, sector-based partnerships among businesses, educational agencies, and workforce organizations to ensure that education and training reflect what is valued in the labor market and help lead to family-supporting careers.
• Develop income support strategies such as stipends, scholarships, or needs-related payments that support adult learners while they participate in training or education programs.  

The Social IMPACT Research Center's Illinois Self-Sufficiency Project is made possible through the generous support of the Grand Victoria Foundation and the Chicago Foundation for Women.