Projects and Initiatives

Austin Polytechnical Academy

Austin Polytechnical Academy (APA), established in 2007, is Chicago's first and only manufacturing-focused high school. Located in the West Side neighborhood of Austin, APA prepares students for career paths that can start in skilled production positions and end in management and even ownership of companies. Students are exposed to manufacturing through company tours, job shadowing, work-based projects. APA is currently fundraising for a machine shop where APA students and community residents can earn nationally-recognized credentials and gain a significant advantage in the advanced manufacturing job market. For more information, visit austinpolytech.com.

Chicago Green Manufacturing Network

In partnership with the Cleveland-based Great Lakes Wind Network, the Renaissance Council has established the Chicago Green Manufacturing Network, a new initiative to establish Chicago as a base for the global supply chain for wind turbine manufacturing. The program aims to connect wind energy OEMs--companies from around the world that design and assemble turbines--to local manufacturing companies that can produce highly specialized, technologically complex turbine parts that are in short supply. For more information, see our project summary.

City Colleges Transformation

The CMRC is working with the City Colleges of Chicago to upgrade their manufacturing programs and bring them in line with international best practices. The initiative includes certification of City College’s programs by the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), a nationally-recognized skill standards certification program that provides access to high-wage jobs in manufacturing. The City Colleges transformation is an essential toward developing a world-class workforce development system that can provide skilled employees to fill the more than 10,000 job openings in Chicago’s manufacturing sector each year.

ManufacturingWorks (Chicago Workforce Center for Manufacturing)

In 2005, under the leadership of Commissioner David Hanson, the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development (now the Department of Community Development) leveraged $1 million in funding to create ManufacturingWorks, a demand-driven program that specializes in meeting the workforce needs of high-performance manufacturers. ManufacturingWorks also provides “lean” training to help manufacturers cut costs and increase performance. To date, ManufacturingWorks has relationships with more than 270 companies; has made more than 1,000 job placements; has provided 68 companies with “lean” training; and has trained more than 1,000 workers. For more information, visit chicagomfgworks.com.

Center for Polytechnical Education

The Center of Polytechnical Education (CPE) is a new 501c3 not-for-profit school operator. CPE's mission is to strengthen communities through educational programs that prepare students to be leaders in the 21st century knowledge economy. CPE now operates two schools: Austin Polytechnical Academy (APA) and the Chicago Academy for Advanced Technology (CAAT). The organization was established in order to replicate and further develop the polytechnical model of education. Developed by nationally recognized educators and researchers, CPE's educational approach uses scientifically-based, field-tested curricula and instructional strategies that accelerate learning and develop students' expert thinking and reasoning skills. A key aspect of CPE schools is their focus on collaborative partnerships with businesses and other organizations. CPE's website is coming soon.

Suburban Chapters

The Renaissance Council has formed chapters in the west, north, and south suburbs of Chicago. Special thanks to our hardworking chapter chairs:

• West Suburbs - Sandra Westlund-Deenihan, president of Quality Float Works in Schaumburg


• North Suburbs - Sacella Smith, executive director of the Youth Jobs Center in Evanston


• South Suburbs - John Ostenburg, mayor of the Village of Park Forest and chief of staff of the Chicago Teachers' Union

Each chapter is made up of manufacturers, local community colleges, unions, and others seeking to duplicate the successes of the CMRC in the suburbs. The chapters aim to recreate the same social partnership and to work closely with the larger Renaissance Council to make a greater impact on issues facing manufacturing, locally and throughout the region.

Economic Stimulus Campaign

The CMRC is developing a comprehensive plan to build a workforce pipeline for advanced manufacturing on the scale demanded by the current economic crisis and the corresponding stimulus funding opportunities. We have convened a working group to outline a full proposal for federal and state funding to dramatically strengthen our region’s educational infrastructure by increasing its size, its responsiveness to employers, and its quality. The CMRC staff is working closely with consultants who have the experience and contacts to act quickly. Learn more about our proposal for the region.

Austin Renewable Energy Innovation Park

The CMRC has proposed the creation of the Austin Renewable Energy Innovation Park, which would focus on commercial-scale wind and other renewable energy sectors, such as solar and geothermal. The Innovation Park will be based on a “cluster” research and development (R&D) center model. “Cluster” R&D centers are rooted in a local region, tied to a specific industry, and guided by a vision for local development while pursuing technological leadership and promoting innovation to strengthen local businesses. The Park will provide an anchor for a renewable energy cluster that would attract new business and investment, helping to build a green economy in Chicago from top to bottom. For more information, see our slideshow and project summary.

West Side Machining Center (WMC)

The CMRC has proposed the creation of a West Side Machining Center (WMC) that would train and certify community residents for careers in advanced manufacturing. The project will maximize the utilization of public facilities by using the school’s machine shop (currently under construction) for adult training in the evenings, on weekends and during the summer. WMC will offer a model program with a curriculum designed by a nationally recognized expert with input from local machining leaders. For more information, see our project proposal.

Industry-Recognized Skill Standards

The CMRC works to identify the best industry-recognized skill standards and credentials as the basis for the development of an articulated career-path system that provides companies with the kind of talent they need to maintain and increase their competitiveness in the global economy. This work is primarily carried out by the members of the Skills Standards sub-committee. The CMRC also promotes skills standards by encouraging community colleges to adopt the NIMS certification system, which is also being implemented at Austin Polytech.

Back to top