Media Center

We're halfway through Workforce Development Month and today is officially the first-ever National Workforce Development Day! The goal of today's celebration is to recognize the individuals, organizations, and initiatives that drive workforce development across the country, and provides another opportunity for us to share what we are all doing in Lake County to support job seekers and businesses via our local workforce development system.

Jeffrey Hubert, Business Services Manager, and Sara Espeland, Apprenticeship Specialist, highlighted training, pre-apprenticeship, and apprenticeship models to give GLMV Chamber of Commerce leadership a deeper understanding of available workforce development programs, equipping them with valuable knowledge to share with their members and new businesses moving into their communities.

The Lake County Board issued a special recognition at today's meeting declaring September 2025 as Workforce Development Month in Lake County. This designation exemplifies Lake County Workforce Development's role as a high-performing and innovative leader in the community, steadfastly supporting the workforce needs of businesses and job seekers.

As we continue our celebration of Workforce Development Month, we are thrilled to announce two local individuals have received recognition as “Workforce Development Heroes” from the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP). Please join us in congratulating our two local recipients, Scott Adams, President/CEO of the GLMV Chamber of Commerce, and Anjel Martinez, Accountant for Lake County Workforce Development.

Lake County Workforce Development administers a Work, Earn, and Learn (WEL) Program in order to provide hands-on experience in various industries. Recently, Baxter Credit Union (BCU), a not-for-profit Credit Union, hosted three WEL participants/job seekers, helping them validate their skills in the areas of customer service, communication, financial knowledge, community engagement, and teamwork.

According to data released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), nonfarm payrolls were nearly unchanged over-the-month in July, down -2,500 (0.0%) to 6,165,600. In July, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month job increases included: Construction (+2,900), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+1,700), and Private Education and Health Services (+1,100).

iBIO, the life sciences industry association representing 85,000 life sciences employees at member companies, universities, service providers, and venture firms has released its inaugural Annual Venture Report. Key Statistics: $1.24B Total Investment; 99 Companies Funded; 93,402 Life Sciences Jobs; 20x Growth Rate vs. State Average.

Lake County is leading the charge in business-friendly growth and regional innovation. The Chicago Tribune has spotlighted the county’s impressive momentum. Leading employers like Abbott, AbbVie, Walgreens, Wintrust Financial Corporation, Medline Industries, LP, and others continue to shape outstanding workplace cultures and earn recognition as top workplaces.