Wayne D. Watson, Chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago since 1998, and Alderman Tom Tunney of Chicago’s 44th Ward might seem an unlikely pair, but education and hospitality might be things on which they can agree. They seem like-minded, at least, in regard to job training for Chicago’s potential land-based casino industry.
Tunney raised the subject during a City Council hearing called to approve the reappointment of Terry Newman and Ralph Moore to the City Colleges board. Tunney, as owner of Ann Sather’s Restaurants, is no stranger to the hospitality industry and when he broached the subject of how City Colleges should be ready with a curriculum to educate students to fill casino jobs, Watson quickly latched onto the idea.
Plans for land-based casinos in Illinois, specifically in and near Chicago, have been on and off the table in the early Nineties, again several years ago, and are cropping up presently for another round of debate. Nine of ten licenses allowed by Illinois for riverboat casinos are active, but controversy over early plans for the tenth to be located in Rosemont have left implementation of it in legal limbo. The Journal of the North American Gambling Industry states that “The growth in commercial casino gaming has slowed significantly in recent years, a trend that continued in 2006.” Though they also mention that Illinois and several other Midwest and Mid-Southern states were not among those that caused the decline, rather they helped to offset the slump caused by other states.
Although Watson cautions that full implementation of a casino job training program might be premature, pending real movement in legislation toward land-based casino licensing, it has not stopped City Colleges from revisiting training in hospitality fields. In fact, the 226 W. Jackson facility has an entire floor renovated to resemble a hotel in miniature scheduled to open later this year. Watson has further stated that he has laid the groundwork for curriculum drafted and subsidized by the casino industry should things go in that direction.
Watson may just find himself initiating the new programs sooner than later if Governor Blagojevich and Illinois Senate President Emil Jones can move their casino package through the legislature, particularly on the grounds that it would eliminate funding woes for Chicago’s beleaguered mass transit system. Keep an eye on the political battles in Springfield over the next few weeks for more information.