Edly-Allen Urges Laid Off Workers to Take Advantage of Free Job Training

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – State Rep. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, is highlighting a new resource for Illinoisans who have been furloughed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A record number of Illinoisans are facing unemployment due to COVID-19 through no fault of their own. It’s unclear what the employment landscape will look like as business opens back up, and it’s crucial that we are helping to train workers for new opportunities in the workforce,” said Edly-Allen. “This partnership between the State of Illinois and online learning platform Coursera will do just that by providing free online courses to train thousands of workers for employment in a post-COVID economy.”

The State of Illinois is partnering with online higher education platform Coursera to offer unemployed Illinoisans free courses in information technology as well as job readiness skills such as business writing and persuasive communication. Certifications are available for job seekers of all levels including the Google IT Support Professional Certificate, designed specifically to train people without college experience for high demand IT jobs. Illinois is one of the first states in the nation to provide free online job training courses to its residents.

Registration for the online courses is available now through September at https://www.coursera.org/government/workforce-recovery. All courses must be completed by December 31, 2020. Participants may earn industry-recognized credentials as well as building their information base and can continue their education at local community colleges.

“I urge job seekers to take advantage of this unique and free opportunity to build your skillset and best position yourself for success in the job search,” Edly-Allen added.  “If my office can be of assistance to anyone struggling with unemployment or looking for any resources related to COVID-19 to contact me any time at 224-206-7647.”