Connecting the Dots

I attended workforceChicago’s awards breakfast this morning, where Aon, one of our College to Careers partners, was honored. Aaron Olson, Global Head of Talent Management for Aon, spoke about HWC’s and Aon’s partnership. He connected the dots between Aon’s need for talent, the Mayor’s commitment to get companies the talent they need, and the talented students we have at the College.

Aaron had arranged for four of our students to attend the breakfast. He gave an update on the four students who have served as interns at Aon. Bartosz Wawrzyszak told me he is heading to Poland after Christmas to work in Aon’s offices there. He will continue to pursue his bachelor’s degree at National Louis University while at Aon-Poland. Courtney Shepherd thanked me for the good work Aly and the Career Placement and Planning staff performed in getting his resume in great shape. He is continuing his studies at Roosevelt. Carmen Hines has been accepted to Northwestern University, and Latorie Washington is studying business administration at DePaul.

Aaron also talked about the Aon Scholars program, which launches next month. Aon will sponsor students who work for companies that have graduated from our 10,000 Small Businesses program. Our belief is that internships are critical to both educating our students about what it is like to hold a job and to helping them be more attractive to employers. The Aon Scholars program will connect the dots between our 10KSB scholars and our up-and-coming students. Aaron said that Aon will look to these students in the future as top candidates for Aon internships.

A year into our College to Careers efforts, we are seeing benefits for students. More students are getting jobs, and more students are transferring successfully to four-year universities. Our four Aon interns are doing both. That is something to celebrate this holiday season.