• Chair Susan Ryan presided over the meeting. The meeting was called to order at 7:34am and a membership quorum was present.

• There was no public comment.

Chair Ryan thanked Member Godden from Superior Ambulance for hosting the meeting. Chair Ryan introduced a new member, Erin Cohan. Erin is the Director of Talent Acquisition at Northwestern Medicine.

• Motion to approve by Member Allen
• Seconded by Member Godden
• All ayes, MOTION APPROVED

Member Godden presented the Member Minute. She is the Vice-President-Legal, Government Relations & Corporate Compliance at Superior Ambulance. Member Godden shared the history and evolution of the company over the years. Superior Ambulance operates in five states and has 5,000 employees.

Member Sabathne presented the One Stop Operator report to the group. He reviewed the referral and COD and workNet DuPage continue to have the highest referral numbers. One thing to keep an eye on is the ELL referral numbers but they have declined. The referral numbers are not large, but it is something to keep an eye on. Member Casidy expressed interest in learning how many individuals who applied for services ultimately enrolled in training. Member Cassidy also indicated he would like to know how many individuals have applied for services for the past 5 years. He would like to see the WIB set goals for how many served over each Program Year. He acknowledged his frequent data requests, but he can use the data to inform programming at the College of DuPage.

At the last meeting, the members discussed possible ways to improve the referral and application processes. To that end, Annie (workNet IT), Member Meyer, Member Blackburn held a meeting to discuss potential improvements to the system. Member Blackburn stated that there are many tools available, including AI. The group had a discussion around AI. Member Patrick commented that that automation is valuable, but the human element must not be overlooked. Jamie informed the group that the State will be rolling out a new case management system which has a referral feature. Member Sabathne will reach out to the state for additional information.

Member Cassidy presented the fiscal report. Spending is on track, as well as the 50% minimum training requirement. Obligations are over 100% as there is an overage of PY24 spending rather than breaking out the PY25 portions.

Jamie reviewed the WARN report which contains one event. CNC of West Chicago ceased operations the same day the notice was received so there was not a Rapid Response workshop. A total of 53 workers were affected, primarily drivers.

Jamie presented the voucher report for the first quarter of Program Year 25. The largest allocation of funds was provided to the College of DuPage. Symbol, a vocational training provider, received significant funding as well. Symbol recently introduced a new maintenance mechanic program that has received strong interest. One contributing factor might be the English requirements set forth in The Executive Order. The stipulation has been in place for some time however it is being enforced now. Member Schvach indicated she would be interested to know how training providers are handling it. Member Cassidy noted that COD offers bridge programming to help ELA individuals prepare for CDL training.

One new feature of the report are wage gains. It shows the wages individuals earn prior to training the wages post training. Keating stated that the average percentage change in wages is incorrect. Jamie will investigate it. Member Keating asked if it is possible to get the starting wage of applicants per category. Member Schvach said this number would be difficult to get with the current systems in place

Chair Ryan presented the 2026 meeting dates

o   Motion to approve by Member Allen
o   Second by Member Rotondo
o   All ayes, MOTION APPROVED

Slate of Officers

Chair Ryan indicated that the Slate of Officers terms expire on January 1. Chair Ryan is working with Jamie, county leadership and the State’s Attorney to update the bylaws, as they have not been updated in some time.

o   Motion to extend current slate of officers terms until the January 2026 meeting by Member Blackburn
o   Second by Member Potter
o   All ayes, MOTION APPROVED

Member Schvach provided the workNet update which included information on the State Supplemental grant and the impact of the shutdown on operations.

There was no old business.

Member Allen stated that there is an upcoming trades expo on November 6 at IBEW, local 701 in Warrenville. He advised that more information is available on the Cisco website.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:44am.