Job Ready IL is a free online training program. Job Ready IL is for anyone who lives in Illinois. It can help you get ready for, find, and keep a job you like.

If you have a Link Card (SNAP) and need help keeping it, Job Ready IL can help. Job Ready IL can help you meet your monthly work hours. Click here to learn more about keeping your SNAP.

Anyone can use Job Ready IL for free. However, Job Ready IL is most useful to people in Illinois who use a Link Card (SNAP).

Job Ready IL is run by these nonprofit organizations: Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance, Origami Works Foundation, and The Innovation Nexus. It is supervised by the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development.

This program is approved by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) as a Qualifying Work Program for the SNAP Work Requirement.

Course content comes from many partner organizations. These organizations are credited within the courses.

Does your organization want to partner with Job Ready IL? Email partner@jobreadyil.com

Job Ready IL teaches job readiness. This means that the courses in Job Ready IL can help you:

• Learn how to apply for new jobs
• Understand the types of jobs you’re interested in
• Find important helpful resources during your job search
• Improve your people skills
• Feel more confident at your next job

However, Job Ready IL cannot find a job for you. Job Ready IL also does not offer job-specific training.

For hands-on or job-specific training, visit an American Job Center or find an in-person training program near you. You may also be interested in Job Ready Extra, a companion website with an extra library of courses. Click here to learn more about Job Ready Extra.

Job Ready IL is free for anyone to join. You can sign up at any time. You must have a valid email address to sign up.

Click this link to sign up for Job Ready IL.

Job Ready IL courses are all available online. You can access them at any time.

Courses contain videos, exercises, and job search activities. After each video you watch, you will do an exercise. Each video-exercise pair is called a module.

Exercises help you practice what you’ve learned. Depending on the module, you might complete an exercise through Job Ready IL, on your own, or through a different website. 

At the end of every course, you will be asked about your job search activities. You should complete 9 hours of job search activity for every course. Click here to learn about job search activities.

Each course counts for 20 work hours. If Job Ready IL is your only way of earning work hours, you must complete four courses each month. Click here to learn more about work hours and keeping your SNAP.

If you are using other ways to earn work hours, you might require fewer courses. If you need help understanding how many hours you need from Job Ready IL, call the ABE Customer Service line at 1-800-843-6154 or visit your Family Community Resource Center.

At the end of every Job Ready IL course, you will be asked about your job search activities. You should complete 9 hours of job search activity for every course.

There are many different activities that count towards your 9 hours of job search. Your job search activities can include:

• Searching for jobs online or in person
• Submitting job applications
• Attending job fairs or hiring events
• Visiting an American Job Center
• Meeting with a career counselor or workforce navigator
• Researching employers, training programs, or career pathways
• Updating your resume or cover letter
• Preparing for interviews
• Following up with employers after applying or interviewing
• Networking with contacts who may know of job opportunities

You are in control of how and when you complete these hours. They can be spread across the course in whatever way you prefer. We recommend doing an hour or two after each module.

At the end of your course, you will be asked how many job search hours you completed. In order to complete the course, you must have completed 9 hours. Job Ready IL will never ask you to submit a log of your hours. Instead, we ask that you answer this final question honestly.

Job Ready IL will never ask you to submit your hours log. However, we recommend that you track your job search hours. This is useful in case IDHS asks for it in the future. You can track your job search hours in a notebook, the notes app on your phone, or a spreadsheet.

In your first month of Job Ready IL, you will be signed up for an introduction bundle. This bundle is made of four courses. Each course counts for 20 work hours. Click here to learn more about work hours and keeping your SNAP.

If Job Ready IL is your only way of earning work hours, you must complete all four courses.

If you are using other ways to earn work hours, you might require fewer courses. If you need help understanding how many hours you need from Job Ready IL, call the ABE Customer Service line at 1-800-843-6154 or visit your Family Community Resource Center.

At the end of each course, you will receive a certificate. You must submit your certificate to keep your SNAP. Click here to learn how to submit your certificate.

Most months, you will not have to submit a certificate. You only have to submit a certificate when you:

1. Have completed your first month using Job Ready IL.
2. Need to renew your SNAP. IDHS will tell you when it is time to renew your SNAP. Click here to learn about renewing your SNAP.

If you do not need to renew your SNAP, you can take any Job Ready IL courses you are interested in. Courses are being added and updated all the time, and you may take the same course multiple times if you would like.

Remember that each course is worth 20 work hours. You need to continue to earn 80 work hours per month. Click here to learn more about work hours and keeping your SNAP.

Want to explore beyond Job Ready IL? You might be interested in Job Ready Extra. Job Ready Extra is a free companion to Job Ready IL with over 7,000 additional courses. Click here to learn more about Job Ready Extra.

You need to submit your Job Ready IL certificates when you:

1. Have completed your first month using Job Ready IL.
2. Need to renew your SNAP. IDHS will tell you when it is time to renew your SNAP.

First, you must download your certificate. Then, you must submit the certificate through Manage My Case or at a Family Community Resource Center.

To download and submit your certificate:

1. View the certificate you want to submit. (Click here to learn how to find your certificates.)
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page. You will see two buttons. Click on the button labeled Download PDF. The certificate can now be found in the Downloads folder of your computer.
3. To submit your certificate, you can either…
   1. Log into Manage My Case and upload this certificate. For instructions on using Manage My Case, visit the ABE Customer Support Center. If you have questions or need help, contact the ABE Customer Service line at 1-800-843-6154.
   2. Print the certificate. Write your date of birth and contact information on the certificate. Bring this to your Family Community Resource Center.

All of your certificates are in your Job Ready IL account. You will only see certificates for courses you have completed. 

Follow these steps to view them:

1. Log into Job Ready IL.
2. In the top-right corner, click on your name.
3. A menu will appear under your name. In this menu, click My Account.
4. You are now on your My Account page. There is a menu on the left. In this menu, click Certificates. Here, you can view all of the certificates you have earned.

IDHS will tell you when you must renew your SNAP. IDHS might sometimes call this redetermination. This is the same thing as renewing your SNAP.

Renewing your SNAP tells IDHS that you are still earning your work hours. This process is the same as your first month of Job Ready IL, but the courses are different.

When it is time to renew your SNAP, log into Job Ready IL. Sign up for the Renew SNAP Bundle. This bundle is made of four courses. Each course counts for 20 work hours. Click here to learn more about work hours and keeping your SNAP.

If Job Ready IL is your only way of earning work hours, you must complete all four courses. 

If you are using other ways to earn work hours, you might require fewer courses. If you need help understanding how many hours you need from Job Ready IL, call the ABE Customer Service line at 1-800-843-6154 or visit your Family Community Resource Center.

At the end of each course, you will receive a certificate. You must submit your certificate to keep your SNAP. Click here to learn how to submit your certificate.

Job Ready IL does not own Manage My Case. We are unable to help with Manage My Case. 

Instead, call the ABE Customer Service line at 1-800-843-6154. You can also visit this site for helpful guidance.

We are working hard to offer other languages. In the meantime, we recommend that you try Job Ready Extra. Job Ready Extra also helps you keep your SNAP, and offers multiple languages. 

Click here to learn more about Job Ready Extra

We are always adding new courses to Job Ready IL. You can also retake courses as often as you want. 

If you are still looking for more courses, you can sign up for Job Ready Extra. Job Ready Extra has a large library of courses beyond what you see in Job Ready IL.

Click here to learn more about Job Ready Extra.

Click here to sign up for Job Ready Extra.

Job Ready Extra is a companion to Job Ready IL. While it is run by the same team, Job Ready Extra is a different website than Job Ready IL. Just like Job Ready IL, Job Ready Extra is 100% free to use.

Job Ready Extra has a large library of courses beyond what you see in Job Ready IL. It also offers multiple languages. 

We recommend Job Ready Extra if:

1. You want to take courses in a language other than English, OR
2. You finished all courses in Job Ready IL and want more, OR
3. You want to learn skills for a specific type of job, such as healthcare, retail, or manufacturing.

If it is your first month or you need to renew your SNAP, make sure you get all of your work hours before using Job Ready Extra. Your certificate comes only from Job Ready IL. Click here to learn how to submit your certificate.

Click here to sign up for Job Ready Extra.

If you’re looking for help with Job Ready IL or Job Ready Extra, email us at help@jobreadyil.com. 

If you’re looking for help understanding SNAP, work hours, or Manage My Case, call the ABE Customer Service line at 1-800-843-6154 or visit your Family Community Resource Center.