CHICAGO, March 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- City Colleges of
Chicago (City Colleges) and
PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) today announced a partnership to support
student success by providing up to 40 job offers annually in the
high-demand fields of transportation, distribution and
manufacturing. Students will take on roles in career paths that
lead to management, including as merchandisers, warehouse
personnel, commercial truck drivers or machine maintenance
technicians and mechanics.
PepsiCo, one of the largest food and beverage companies in the
U.S. with a product portfolio that includes Quaker, Tropicana,
Gatorade, Frito-Lay, and Pepsi-Cola, will address local workforce
needs by connecting City Colleges' students with training and
employment opportunities.
"The partnership with PepsiCo and City Colleges helps
Chicago's hard working students
develop the skillsets needed to thrive and excel in the 21st
century," said Mayor Emanuel. "The future is bright for those
entering the transportation, distribution, logistics and
manufacturing fields, and City Colleges students will be prepared
for the thousands of jobs coming to the region in the coming
years."
PepsiCo and its sister brands are committed to bringing on up to
40 students total from Daley College and Olive-Harvey each year. New hires will start at
more than $14 an hour, and increase
depending on the position.
PepsiCo also committed to investing in tuition reimbursement,
transportation, and other school-related costs for City Colleges
students. Additionally, the industry leader will host regular
hiring events that target City Colleges students and surrounding
communities, as well as name Olive-Harvey as a preferred Forklift training site
for existing and future PepsiCo employees.
In addition to completing a degree or certificate at
Olive-Harvey College or Daley College,
students will participate in PepsiCo-specific training [and
workplace readiness training] to help prepare them for the company
screening process. The New
York-based company has for a long time had a major local
presence, including manufacturing on 51st St. in
Bridgeview; a large distribution
center on 35th St.; and management offices in the West
Loop and Schaumburg.
"With business operations continuing to evolve, we need to
ensure workers of tomorrow have the skill sets that will be
required to stay ahead of new trends," said Al Carey, CEO, PepsiCo North America.
"Innovative public-private partnerships like the one we've created
with City Colleges of Chicago
enable us to provide opportunities to the community while we
recruit, train, and develop talent to fill high-tech roles now and
well into the future and give local students a career path to
ensure their future success."
"The partnership is an example of how City Colleges works with
leading employers to prepare our students for careers in
high-demand fields," said City Colleges Chancellor Juan Salgado. "We appreciate PepsiCo
recognizing the pipeline of talent City Colleges offers and its
effort to work with us to ensure these students launch careers that
offer a pathway to upward mobility."
"I applaud PepsiCo for their commitment to hiring from
communities devastated by unemployment. The best and most
effective anti-violence program is a jobs program! The best way to
decrease violence is to increase economic opportunity. This
is a great day for communities like Austin, and West Garfield Park," stated
Cook County Commissioner
Richard R. Boykin (D-1).
Both Olive-Harvey College and Daley
College have a proven track record in working with employers to
ensure the curriculum and facilities meet the demands of employers
in high demand fields.
"Daley students will be working as technicians and mechanics at
PepsiCo's warehouses—repairing and installing equipment and helping
ensure manufacturing operations run smoothly—and that's pretty
exciting," added Daley College Interim President Dr. Eduardo Garza. "With a major organization
like PepsiCo deciding to recruit our students and development of
the new Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Center, there are
great things happening on campus."
"We are excited to formalize our partnership with PepsiCo, a
long-standing supporter of our efforts," noted Olive-Harvey Interim President Felicia Davis. "The students and community on
the far South Side are seeking opportunities like this to start
work immediately in roles that lead to family-sustaining
careers."
Mayor Emanuel and City Colleges broke ground last year on a
$45 million Engineering and Advanced
Manufacturing Center at Daley College, marking the start of
construction of the 57,000-square foot project that will help
prepare Chicagoans for the more than 20,000 jobs coming to the
region in the engineering and advanced manufacturing fields over
the next decade. A few months later, in December, Mayor Emanuel
announced that construction would resume on the 103,000-square-foot
Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Center at Olive-Harvey. The facility will prepare students
for transportation-related jobs and include automotive and diesel
engine laboratories, an engine dynamometer, classrooms, simulated
driving areas, a testing center and vehicle bays. It also would be
a central location to provide office supplies to City Colleges'
campuses and other buildings.
PepsiCo already hired 10 South Side community members, including
former City Colleges students, during a hiring event at
Olive-Harvey College this past
November.
For more information on City Colleges of Chicago and to apply, visit www.ccc.edu or
call 773/C-O-L-L-E-G-E. For PepsiCo job opportunities, go to
PepsiCo Careers.
About City Colleges of Chicago
City Colleges of Chicago (CCC)
is the largest community college system in Illinois and provides a quality and affordable
post-secondary education. CCC prepares more than 80,000 students
annually for further college and careers. CCC encompasses seven
colleges and five satellite sites city-wide. The City Colleges of
Chicago includes: Richard J. Daley College, Kennedy-King College, Malcolm
X College, Olive-Harvey College,
Harry S Truman College, Wilbur Wright College and Harold Washington College. For more information
about City Colleges of Chicago or
for registration information, call (773) COLLEGE or visit
www.ccc.edu.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion
times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the
world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net
revenue in 2017, driven by a complementary food and beverage
portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and
Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of
enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate
more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail
sales.
At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our
fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably
linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe
that continuously improving the products we sell, operating
responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the
world enable PepsiCo to run a successful global company that
creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more
information, visit www.pepsico.com
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SOURCE PepsiCo