Earn-as-you-learn job training program on West Side doubles in size

An earn-as-you-learn job training program begun on the West Side last year already has doubled in size.

JumpHire, a workforce development organization based in East Garfield Park, launched in October with the goal of connecting local residents with jobs supporting area hospitals.

“We’re looking for folks from the South and West sides who are looking for career positions but didn’t necessarily go to college,” Shelby Parchman, executive director of JumpHire, told the Sun-Times in October.

With the training comes a minimum $150 weekly stipend. Upon completion, participants are guaranteed an interview for a job that offers benefits and opportunities for advancement.

As the first cohort of 17 participants finishes its program, the organization will launch two new cohorts at the end of January for training in nonmedical hospital jobs, such as security or patient transportation.

The organization hopes to sign up 20 people to join each cohort, the first of which begins this week. To apply, visit the JumpHire website. Another cohort for medical supply chain jobs begins at the end of February.

The training lasts 10 weeks. It’s two days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays, for two hours each day. It consists of training in soft skills at the organization’s headquarters at 328 N. Albany Ave. and hands-on training days at Rush University Medical Center or at the hospital’s warehouse on the West Side.

The organization will offer mentorship; a transportation stipend and daily meals; and free child care for participants at their nearest YMCA.

Michael Loria is a staff reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times via Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the paper’s coverage of communities on the South Side and West Side.