Community College Plan in Chicago Stresses Job Skills

Chicago's city colleges will turn a community college diploma into a "ticket to the workforce," pledged Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a recent speech to business leaders.

Despite 10 percent unemployment, the Chicago area has more than 10,000 unfilled jobs, he wrote in a Wall Street Journal commentary. "Like the rest of the country, Chicago suffers from a skills gap that undermines our economic competitiveness and threatens our future prosperity."

Under the mayor's College to Careers plan, the city's community colleges will work closely with employers to train students for jobs.

AAR, an aircraft leasing company that needs aviation mechanics, will help design curriculum at Olive-Harvey College, provide instructors who've worked in the industry and offer internships, facility tours, and job interviews.

Malcolm X College will work with nearby hospitals and healthcare companies to train students as healthcare assistants, technicians, and nurses.

Computer technology, business services, and hospitality partnerships are expected to be next.

"We're going to convert the community college system to a skills-based education," Emanuel told CBS News.