Will Works Podcast

This episode explores how apprenticeships in the UK combine paid work with structured learning, offering pathways into a wide range of careers at any age. You'll learn how employers, education providers, and local government work together to create and support apprenticeships, how funding can help smaller businesses participate, and what the UK and U.S. systems might learn from each other. The conversation also looks at the benefits apprenticeships can bring to workers, employers, and communities, and why they may become even more important as workplaces adapt to AI.

Leaving the military can mean finding a new career, a new community, and a new sense of purpose. In this episode of the Will Works Podcast, explore how veterans can carry their experience forward into meaningful civilian work, including healthcare careers that extend far beyond doctors and nurses. Discover how leadership, teamwork, logistics, and technical skills translate into hospital roles, why mentorship matters during the transition, and how employers can better recognize and support veteran talent. Learn why listening to veterans' lived experience is essential to building stronger workforce programs and creating opportunities to continue serving in a different way.

What does it take to build a workforce where people can truly thrive? In this episode of the Will Works Podcast, Michelle Sebasco, Deputy Director of Academic Partnerships and Continuing Education at Governors State University's School of Extended Learning, explores the vital connection between workforce development and mental health. She discusses why technical skills are only one part of career readiness, the importance of emotional resilience and inclusive workplaces, and how programs such as Jaguar Jumps are supporting neurodivergent learners. Michelle also shares how collaboration among educators, employers, government agencies, and community organizations can create a healthier workforce, a stronger economy, and more resilient communities.

In this episode, we are joined by Jen Howard, president of the Joliet Chamber of Commerce, and Mike Paone, executive vice president, to explore how the chamber supports businesses and strengthens the wider community. They share their professional journeys, discuss the chamber's evolving role beyond networking, and highlight its work in advocacy, education, business visibility, and leadership development. The conversation also examines current workforce challenges, the importance of connecting employers with educational institutions, and how investments in students and emerging leaders are helping build Joliet's future workforce.

In this episode of the Will Works Podcast, Paige Kelly and Aidan Rockarts introduce the Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program, an initiative designed to help entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits enter and grow within Illinois' expanding clean energy economy. They explain how the program provides individualized business advising, workshops, professional services, industry connections, certification guidance, and support with areas such as marketing, accounting, legal services, and business planning. The conversation also explores the wide range of opportunities available in clean energy—from solar and electric vehicle infrastructure to HVAC, construction, landscaping, and energy efficiency—and highlights the program's commitment to creating equitable pathways for historically underserved communities.

Originally recorded during National Apprenticeship Week, this episode explores how modern apprenticeship programs are creating new pathways into meaningful careers across industries like insurance, IT, cybersecurity, and business operations. Discover how apprenticeships can bridge the gap between education and employment through paid, hands-on experience, mentorship, and career development opportunities through conversations with David Jaeger, Program & Operations Lead HR | Office of Apprenticeship at Zurich North America, and Peter Tobin, IT Apprentice. The episode also highlights the growing role apprenticeships play in workforce innovation, the importance of soft skills alongside technical training, and how employers and educators are working together to build the workforce of the future.

In this episode of the Will Works podcast, we are joined by Teena Mackey, Executive Director of the Will County Community Mental Health 708 Board, for a conversation about the growing importance of mental health in the workplace. Tune in to hear how organizations can move beyond surface-level wellness initiatives to create cultures that genuinely support employee wellbeing. Teena shares insights on recognizing signs of mental health challenges in the workplace, the importance of proactive leadership, the role of education and mental health first aid, and how compassionate workplace cultures can improve both employee wellness and organizational success.

In this episode featuring Jaymee Dhein and Myriam Klein, you'll learn how Germany's apprenticeship system actually works and why it's often considered the gold standard for building a skilled workforce. You'll hear how employers, vocational schools, and chambers of commerce work together to train talent through paid, hands-on learning combined with classroom education, and why vocational career paths are treated with the same respect as four-year degrees. You'll also discover how this model supports low youth unemployment, prepares workers for advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies, and encourages employers to invest in long-term workforce development rather than short-term competition. Tune in to gain insights into what the U.S. could borrow from the German approach to strengthen education-to-career pathways and create more sustainable workforce systems.

In this episode, you'll hear how apprenticeships are transforming lives and careers across Illinois—with a spotlight on how United Airlines is using hands-on learning and mentorship to build the next generation of talent. You'll meet a former apprentice who immigrated from Ukraine and, through the i.c.stars program, gained the skills, confidence, and opportunity to become a platform engineering associate at United Airlines. Her story reveals how apprenticeships can change the trajectory of a career and a life—bridging education and opportunity while helping businesses grow their own talent pipelines. It's an inspiring look at what happens when industry, education, and community partners come together to invest in people and their potential.