Rev. Corey Brooks, Illinois Tollway Sponsoring Job Expo This Week
(CBS) -- A key black minister who supported Governor Bruce Rauner's election is hoping for a huge turnout Friday for a career opportunities expo at his church.
Pastor Corey Brooks is on the Illinois Tollway board. They're both sponsoring a "Career Opportunities Expo" at Brooks' New Beginnings Church at 6620 S. King Drive on Friday.
Pastor Brooks says more than 600 people had signed up online at illinoistollway.com as of last week to hear about jobs and how to go about getting jobs with the tollway, the state, and their contractors.
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He says the tollway system needs to be more diverse and that, "We have to go to the black and brown communities and let them know that there are opportunities with the tollway, there are opportunities with some of our state agencies, there are opportunities with some of the contractors who work with us."
Pastor Brooks says it didn't hurt that he has influence with the tollway system to get the jobs expo set up at his church. It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.
He says organizers are "making sure we have some career jobs that people can apply for but also making sure that we give people some opportunities to get involved with the trades as well."
Pastor Brooks says he doesn't know how many jobs will actually be able to be offered to people on Friday, "but I do know we have over 60 vendors and companies that are going to be here…so that represents a lot of jobs."
Among those vendors:
- Illinois State Police
- Metra
- Chicagoland Laborers' Training and Apprentice Fund
- DND Electric Inc.
- Pipe Fitters Local Union 597
- Various state agencies
- Dawson Technical Institute
- K-Five Construction
