Internship Placement Position - part-time, paid

Frontline Focus Training Institute
Internship Placement Description


Position Scope: Assist in the implementation and expansion of a non-profit professional development program. As part of the Frontline Focus Training Institute (FFTI), interns report to the FFTI Director. Primary responsibilities include supporting FFTI staff with administrative tasks, logistics, marketing, and evaluation.

Chicago Jobs Council (CJC) is a membership organization comprised of approximately 100 education, employment and training providers, civic groups, businesses and advocates who support CJC’s mission to ensure access to employment and career advancement opportunities for people in poverty.

CJC’s Frontline Focus Training Institute (FFTI) delivers trainings and resources to help job developers, case managers, and other service providers develop their skills, knowledge and networks to better meet the employment needs of disadvantaged job seekers, low-income workers and employers. FFTI offers nine distinct courses in four programmatic areas (Working with the Employer, Working with Special Populations of Job Seekers, The Workforce Development Landscape, Advanced Curriculum) and serves over 400 participants each year. FFTI also organizes the Frontline Workforce Association which provides free programming and networking opportunities for the field.

FFTI Goals
Through the delivery of our trainings, resources and other capacity building efforts, we aim to:
1. Develop and enhance the skills, key competencies and knowledge of frontline workforce development providers in order to increase job effectiveness.
2. Decrease burnout and stimulate career growth within the workforce development field.
3. Create an environment that fosters collaboration and networking among job developers.
4. Establish “job development” as a professional field of work.


Intern Responsibilities:
The Intern will assist in the administration, management and expansion of CJC’s Frontline Focus Training Institute (FFTI). Specifically, the Intern would be engaged in the following types of tasks and responsibilities:

• Administrative/Logistics
o Recruit and coordinate guest speakers and panelists to assist in presentation of trainings
o Handle course administrative tasks such as tracking attendance, providing customer assistance to participants, sending out classroom correspondences, etc.
o Format and revise training curriculum based on participant feedback
o Help manage the Frontline Workforce Association including handling meeting logistics, assisting with the development of events, assisting with the coordination of the Steering Committee, etc.
o Contribute to the continued development of the FFTI business plan
o Support the development of customized curriculum by repackaging existing FFTI curriculum into web-based and lecture formats
• Marketing
o Create and distribute the Frontline Focus Flyer (quarterly newsletter)
o Design and distribute electronic registration emails and reminders
o Update website with current training and registration information
• Evaluation
o Recommend curriculum changes based on evaluative feedback
o Improve existing post program and follow-up evaluations
o Engage in data collection methods (i.e. surveys, focus groups, etc.) to determine training needs of frontline workforce staff
• Grant writing/Fundraising
o Assist in the writing of foundation grant proposals
o Contribute to the overall fundraising strategy of the FFTI



Skills and Qualifications:
• Commitment to the advancement of CJC’s organizational mission.
• Interest in nonprofit or program management.
• Clear, concise, and persuasive written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong critical thinking and analytical ability.
• Possesses self-starting work habits (sees what needs to be done without being told) that demonstrate a clear understanding of FFTI’s priorities and one’s own job responsibilities, while at the same time being open to receiving direction.
• Participates well in a team including listening to and respecting team members’ ideas, willingness to provide backup on other team members’ projects, display of adaptability when a change is made, and open to incorporating team feedback on written communications.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills that allow for the handling of multiple and competing priorities while meeting short and long term deadlines.
• Ability to think systemically and make recommendations based on thorough research.
• Proficiency with computer applications in Windows environment, especially Microsoft Office Suite applications (primarily Outlook, Word and Excel); proficiency with (or ability to learn quickly) web-based survey tools and internal database applications.


Other Information
The time commitment for this position is flexible, though ideally 20-24 hours/week (3 days/week).

web: www.cjc.net