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The Jump Up Program
12/12/2006

As with many of the successful social programs over the last decade, Jump Up (Join Us to Market People in Uptown) began as a 46th Ward experiment and has become city-wide policy.

The program began with Johnny King signing up more than 200 hundred area residents to go through a vigorous interview and registration process to be able to attend Dawson Technical Institute, with the use of TIF funds.  Dawson trains students in eight different construction-related trades.  Already, nine area residents have made it through the original interview and screening process (which included drug testing) and have completed their training at Dawson and are either working or in line to be working on the Wilson Yard Project construction.

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Johnny King
The success of this program, which was the first ever to use TIF funds for job training, has resulted in a citywide policy and ordinance.  Under the ordinance, if a contractor hires and uses people trained through Dawson as a result of this program, those contractors get points toward future bids on City Colleges and Board of Education construction contracts.

"This is the most innovative and effective job training program currently being utilized in the city," explained Johnny King.  "Because the people are being trained well and they are being trained for well-paying jobs."