Industry News  

3/2/10
Will Toyota Do the Right Thing to Solve Its Problems?

Author and quality consultant Philip Crosby said, “Why spend all this time finding and fixing and fighting when you could prevent the incident in the first place?” Crosby wrote the bestselling book “Quality is Free” in 1979. Perhaps Toyota executives should read it before implementing some of the changes they outlined at the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearings on Wednesday,
February 24.

2/22/10 JJC Hires Two New Analysts to Help Business Owners Find Better Solutions
There is an old saying that two heads are better than one and Joliet Junior College (JJC) is taking it literally.  On February 15, Carol Turney and Brian Thompson began working as business analysts for JJC’s Small Business Development Center. Their mission is to help small business entrepreneurs succeed – even in this economy.
2/2/10

Employment outlook is good for welding jobs
Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects little or no employment change for welders over the next decade, they are still optimistic about the future demand for these jobs.

1/20/10
How Illinois Reaches Out to Small Business Owners
If you are planning to start a small business in Illinois, you may have a tough time finding financial help. Not that you would have an easier time in another state. Very few provide direct grant money to small businesses, relying instead on block grants to fund low-interest loans for specific reasons such as job creation for low-income individuals.
1/15/10

Community Colleges and Women Employed Partner to Improve Outcomes Providing Support and Information to be Focus of New Collaboration
According to Building Illinois’ Workforce of the Future, a new policy brief by Women Employed, nearly half of older students enrolled in college left school within three years without a degree or certificate. Yet a growing body of research demonstrates that early guidance and effective support services can increase completion rates.

12/1/09

Stimulus Plan May Not Be Enough
While the stimulus program has helped some workers such as teachers and road workers, most people are still struggling to find a job.

10/12/09 Employers Hiring More Temps
Does hiring more temporary workers mean the unemployment rate will start dropping?
10/01/09

Are Your Employees Selling Your Company Secrets?
Some analysts believe many employees are selling company secrets to competitors as a way of making quick money in this economy.

9/21/09 Surviving the Recession with Job Re-Design
Job re-design may help employers get through the rough spots in this economy.
9/21/10 Boomers Present Unexpected Challenges
Because so many baby boomers are working past retirement age, employers will need to find ways to keep them engaged and tap into their years of experience.
9/1/09

Entrepreneurs Best Source of Green Job Creation
The key to creatiing green jobs is a healthy dose of entrepreneurship.

9/1/09

Foreign Workers Find More Opportunity in Other Countries
A weak economy and slow approvals on green cards are causing an exodus of well educated foreign workers. Is this a good thing for the U.S.?

8/18/09 Internet Social Networking is Good for Business
If your marketing plan doesn't include Internet social networking, it should. Learn what the experts are saying about this new form of marketing and how you can learn to use it too.
8/18/09

More Students Going Online for Classes
The trend to online and blended learning is increasing at Joliet Junior College.

7/15/09

Is There a Business in Your Future?
Is now a good time to start a business, and is that what you really want? Look at all your options before taking the plunge. For some, it is a dream come true, for others, it is not as good as a job.

6/23/09 Surge in Jobs Expected from Stimulus Package
Some analysts predict an increase in demand for these jobs.
6/23/09 Stimulus Money Slow in Coming - But Should Be Here Soon
Community colleges have been waiting for stimulus funds for months now, but the Obama administration says it is coming soon.
6/15/09

Manufacturing Technicians Are Still in Demand
A slowdown in growth does not deter demand for skilled manufacturing techicians.

5/14/09 Job Cuts May be on the Decline
The outplacement firm, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. reports a significant reduction in planned job cuts for April.
4/9/09 Baby Boomers Look for Options
As boomers get closer to retirement, the lines at Social Security offices will swell with people ready to leave the workforce.
4/8/09

Skilled Workforce Needed 
The National Association of manufacturers (NAM) launched an educational initiative this month designed to prepare America’s work force for modern manufacturing.

4/1/09 Job Cuts Down in March
For the second consecutive month, job cuts have gone down reports Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
4/1/09 Finding Green Collar Jobs
It takes a little more effort, but those jobs are out there and they are growing.
3/16/09

The Art of Coaching
Learning to coach others is as simple as CCC and C. Nancy Friedman talks about the four C's of good coaching in an article from The Friendly Voice newsletter.

3/11/09 Planting Wind Turbines in Lake Michigan
U.S. Department of Energy reports that Lake Michigan is a good place for wind turbines.
3/11/09 Employers Struggle with Health Care Coverage
A new survey shows a growing trend to drop health insurance.
2/6/2009

January Job Cuts
Challenger Gray and Christmas announces the year's first round of job cuts.

1/22/2009 Managing By Design
If you want to be a better manager, focus on solutions - not decisions. That is the view expressed by a new approach to management that has been emerging over the last ten years.
1/5/2009 How to Go Green: At Work
A greener workplace can mean a lighter ecological footprint, a healthier and more productive place to work, and good news for the bottom line. Whether you’re the boss or the employee, whether your office is green already or still waiting to see the light, some practical steps can lay the groundwork for a healthy, low-impact workspace.
1/5/2009 10 Ways to Go Green at Work
Greener homes are in the spotlight these days, but what about the other places where many of us spend huge chunks of our time--our offices? Some simple changes of habit can save energy and resources at work, and these small steps can be multiplied by persuading the powers-that-be at your workplace to adopt environmentally friendly (and often cost-effective) policies.
12/15/2008 Green Tips
We put together a collection of ideas from experts to help you stay warm and green this winter. Use what you can and save some money and conserve some energy.
12/5/2008 Just What Is a Recession?
Many economists believe that a recession is defined by two consecutive quarters or more of economic decline as measured by gross domestic product or GDP. Not everyone, however, agrees with that definition.
12/5/2008 Challenger's 23rd Annual Call-In
Heavy year-end downsizing virtually ensures that annual job cuts will surpass 1,000,000 for the first time since 2005.
11/17/2008 Tech Sector Cuts To Reach Highest Level Since 2005
After a quiet first half of the year, job cuts in the technology sector surged in the third quarter and are on track to reach the highest year-end total since 2003. The latest evidence that the economic downturn has reached the tech sector came this morning with the report that Sun Microsystems will be eliminating 5,000 to 6,000 jobs in a broad restructuring.
11/14/2008 Latest Trends in Manufacturing Look Grim
The latest Monthly Economic Review by the Congressional Task Force on Manufacturing** provides general manufacturing statistics from numerous sources. We thought it would be helpful to share this information with our readers.
11/4/2008 Exelon Generation, LLC Donates $30,000 to Joliet Junior College Foundation
Exelon Generation, LLC, donated $30,000 to the Joliet Junior College Foundation's scholarship fund. The $30,000 will be divided into 10 $3,000 scholarships that will be distributed in the fall 2008 semester for students pursuing technical degrees in applied sciences.
11/4/2008 Job Cuts on the Rise
For a long time, the U.S economy enjoyed an unemployment rate under 6 percent. Now, with the economy struggling, major employers are talking job cuts.
10/23/2008 Surviving the Next 12 Months
For many people, the government's economic bailout plan can seem a bit confusing. Most small business owners and workers worry about their ability to survive the next 12 months. Will the bailout inject more money into the economy, or will it add to the anxiety on Wall Street? Are we moving away from free markets, or will the bailout be a temporary measure to keep us from total disaster?
10/23/2008 New Green Courses on Sustainability Offered at JJC
Thanks to an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant, Joliet Junior College is able to offer a number of credit and non-credit classes on sustainability to the building and HVAC industries.
10/23/2008 Challenger Retirement Crisis
The financial crisis shaking the economy from Wall Street to Main Street has dealt a staggering blow to millions of Americans nearing retirement or already in retirement. With nest eggs already having lost an estimated $2 trillion, a growing number of would-be retirees will be forced to remain in or return to the workplace.
9/23/2008 Challenger Holiday Hiring Forecast
Bleak conditions for retailers as the holiday selling period approaches are expected to keep seasonal hiring well below last year's level, according to the annual holiday hiring forecast released Monday by global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
9/02/2008 The Internet Can Be Dangerous to Your Job Search
Is the Internet a good way to look for a job? John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of the global outplacement consultancy, Challenger Gray & Christmas, Inc., believes they have limited value.
8/25/2008 Coping with Soaring Gas Prices
Is your employer doing enough to ease your pain at the pump? According to a recent survey reported in Workforce. Com, 61 percent of survey participants reported having multiple jobs to pay bills.
8/25/2008 Demand for Older Workers Shatters Myths
The slowing economy has dampened the demand for older workers, but not much. The number of workers 55 and older is still growing significantly while those younger than 45 struggle with widespread job loss.
8/25/2008 Nation's Oldest Community College Has Long History of Teaching Safety
From the moment community colleges started preparing people for jobs in industry, safety has been a priority. Community colleges have not only offered independent courses on safety, they have incorporated safety into all of their technical programs.
8/14/2008 The Internet Can Be Dangerous to Your Job Search
"The number of job search engines has grown in recent years from a handful of major players, such as Monster.com and HotJobs.com, to hundreds of sites, offering everything from industry-specific and localized job search engines to dating service-like compatibility matching between job seekers and employers," said Challenger...
8/14/2008 Online Applicant Screening Pose Problems for Applicants and Employers
A growing trend among employers is to conduct job applicant screening online using search engines and social-networking web sites. Since material uploaded to these sites never seems to go away, it is reasonable to question how potential employers will view material that was published when a job applicant was in high school or college.
8/11/2008 Be Polite and Keep Your Head Down
Is the guy in the cubicle next to you a raging bull? Do you cringe every time you talk to the purchasing manager because she yells at you for submitting sloppy purchase requisitions?
8/11/2008 Crane Safety is Important to Everyone
If you cringe a little when walking or driving by a crane, your instincts are pretty good.
8/11/2008 Kiosk Technology Delivers Safety Training to Large Manufacturer
In this day of computers and high technology, educators have a variety of ways to deliver training. One of these options is the kiosk.
7/16/2008 Baby Boomers Create a New Way to Retire
According to a study conducted for Merrill Lynch by Harris Interactive in collaboration with Age Wave, baby boomers are not interested in traditional retirement lifestyles. They are looking, instead, for ways to integrate work and play thereby creating a new model of retirement living.
7/16/2008 Online Social Networking in the Workplace?
As the popularity of online social networking websites like Facebook and MySpace grows, so does the number of people visiting the sites during work hours. While many companies look the other way, a new survey reveals that nearly one in four are putting the kibosh on what is considered a productivity killer.
7/16/2008 Online Training Becomes More Accepted
According to a 2005 survey conducted by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), 29 percent of all corporate tuition reimbursement goes to online or blended programs. Nearly 60 percent of the 151 learning executives surveyed expected the role of online higher education to increase in their organizations over the next two or three years.
6/24/2008 Economic Trends May Change the Way We Do Business
While it is not the end of the calendar year, it is the end of the fiscal year and as good a time as any to identify some economic trends that may occur over the next 12 months.
6/24/2008 Seventeen People Complete Frontline Training at Potlatch
The Potlatch Corporation in Elwood, Illinois graduated 17 people from Joliet Junior College's Frontline training program on June 18. Six people completed all five of the Frontline modules and 11 completed four.
6/24/2008 Your Logo is Not Your Brand
It is a common misconception, probably started by graphic designers, that a great-looking logo is critical to branding success. The truth, according to many experts, is that a great-looking logo is only a small part of building a successful brand.
6/17/2008 Fuel Prices Could Benefit Some Americans
Could there be a hidden benefit to rising gas prices? Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., a Chicago-based outplacement consultancy says yes.
6/17/2008 Top Ten Work-at-Home Jobs
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts a growing demand for many jobs by 2016. A number of them can be done at home.
6/2/2008 Are men experiencing a recession?
According to the latest household survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, men 20 and older have lost 700,000 jobs between last November and April.
5/22/2008 Planning for the Brain Drain
You've probably heard it many times: the workforce is aging; retirements will steadily rise, employers will be left with a massive brain drain.
5/7/2008 Corporations Create New Job
According to a recent Workforce.com article, more than 11 percent of Fortune 500 companies blog as part of their overall marketing strategy. That is a seven percent increase over the reported four percent in 2005. Many of these companies employ a full time blogger.
5/7/2008 How to Kill Creativity
In today'stuggling economy, employers want workers who can be innovative and creative. But, for many, the management style of their companies does more to kill a new idea than bring it to life.
4/11/2008 Employers Struggle to Find Ways to Deal with Generation Y Workers
According to a recent study sponsored by the consulting firm Novations, 19 percent of the 2,556 HR and training executives who participated in this study admitted to having difficulty communicating to this group.
4/11/2008 Better Business Planning Begins at the Circus
A circus executive speaking to a group of HR professionals may seem odd, but when the circus is the famous Cirque du Soleil, it makes perfect sense.
4/11/2008 Five Recession-Proof Industries
According to John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a global outplacement consultancy, there are some jobs that will always be in demand.
4/2/2008 Many Employers Want Less Than a Four-Year Degree
There are alternatives to the four-year college degree and many industries are making an effort to encourage people to consider them.
4/2/2008 Chicago High School Prepares for Job Shortages
According to a new report from Deloitte, a professional consulting firm, technology companies use outdated tactics to recruit and retain talent.
3/13/2008 Technology Workers Want More Control
According to a new report from Deloitte, a professional consulting firm, technology companies use outdated tactics to recruit and retain talent.
3/7/2008 Economy Not Deterring Employers From College Recruiting Plans
Despite signs of a steadily weakening economy, a new survey by global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. found that many employers have not altered plans to hire spring college graduates.
3/7/2008 Facebook is for Corporations Too
Facebook is not just for individuals. Many major U.S. businesses are creating their own Facebook sites as a way to build brands and generate more job applications.
2/28/2008 Video Footage Shows Electrical Dangers
Sometimes we take safety for granted. We tell ourselves that we've done some procedure a million times without mishap. Then, one day, something goes wrong.
2/18/2008 The Future Will Demand More of the American Worker
To compete effectively, American workers need to find innovative solutions to productivity challenges.
2/18/2008 Post College Training Becoming More Important
A recent survey reports that employers are generally satisfied with the entry-level skills of college graduates, but want better assessment tools to evaluate their level of knowledge and need for post-college training.
2/5/2008 How To Recession-Proof Your Job
Outplacement Expert Advises Caution.
Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. is an international outplacement firm headquartered in Chicago. Chief Executive Officer, John A. Challenger, has some advice for staying employed during the possible economic slump.
2/5/2008 Small U.S. Manufacturers Can Compete with Foreign Suppliers
All they need is a highly-skilled workforce.
"We're not going to compete on the price of our labor, we're going to compete on the skill of our labor," says Sandi Vito, Pennsylvania's deputy secretary for workforce development.
1/11/2008 Be Prepared for Telecommuting
Many jobs are perfect for telecommuting. Selling, for example, can easily be done from home. Other jobs may not be as accommodating.
1/11/2008 Tips for Helping Middlescents
According to Harvard University, middlescents are workers between the ages of 35 and 54. They are burned out, bottlenecked, and bored.
1/11/2008 Will Employers Be Desperate for Workers in 2011?
As baby boomers grow older, economists get more nervous. In a few years, this demographic bulge will begin retiring, creating the possibility for a severe labor shortage.
12/13/2007 Argonne Labs Helps Build New Supercomputer
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $25 million for the construction of a 50 teraflop (50 trillion calculations per second) supercomputer.
12/13/2007 Demand for Online Learning is Growing
According to a USA Today story (11/28/07), 20 percent of the 17 million college students in the United States say they have taken at least one online course.
12/13/2007 Disabled Vets Find New Opportunities in Labor Market
What do you get when you combine the coming surge in retirees with nearly full employment? You get more opportunities for disabled veterans.
12/13/2007 Problem with Homeland Security's E-Verify Program
Many employers are experiencing some problems with the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) E-Verify program.