Vallas wants to dismantle Emanuel's City Colleges makeover

Mayoral challenger Paul Vallas vowed Thursday to dismantle Mayor Rahm Emanuel's signature colleges-to-careers makeover that has allowed each of Chicago's seven city colleges to prepare students for jobs in a particular growth industry.

The idea originated with former Mayor Richard M. Daley and Mayor Rahm Emanuel picked up the ball and ran with it.

Kennedy-King trains students for jobs in the culinary and hospitality industries. At Olive-Harvey, it's transportation, distribution and logistics. Daley College focuses on engineering and advanced manufacturing. Malcolm X specializes in nursing and health sciences. Harold Washington's specialty is business and professional services. At Wright, it's information technology. At Truman, it's education, human and natural sciences.

On Thursday, Vallas made the dismantling of those programs a centerpiece of his economic development plan for Chicago.

"Compare what's being offered at Olive-Harvey with what's being offered at Malcolm X and I'll rest my case. Ask yourself whether the job training being offered at Olive-Harvey, 10 years from now, whether those same jobs are gonna be even in existence as opposed to the jobs being offered at Malcolm X," Vallas told a news conference at his campaign headquarters.

"What I'm saying is that there should be a series of core programs that are offered in all the colleges and that are accessible to everybody."

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