The Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) recently awarded 25 workforce development projects $5.5 million through the PAsmart Industry Partnership Grants program.
Industry Partnerships received grants to increase awareness and implement workforce development strategies in the agriculture, construction, education, energy, healthcare, hospitality, information technology, and manufacturing industries.
Industry Partnerships support businesses by partnering to build a stronger, more competitive job market through training, networking, recruitment, and collaboration. Their efforts offer Pennsylvanians opportunities for career pathways.
“Industry Partnership programs address critical shortages in specific industries, assist in retention efforts and offer a robust resource network to ensure individuals have access to meaningful careers,” L&I Secretary Jennifer Berrier said. “At L&I, we strategically use resources to connect Pennsylvania employers with a highly skilled and talented workforce who can do the jobs of tomorrow. We continue to do that, first and foremost, by investing in people and their families.”
The Manufacturing Industry Partnership in Allegheny, Beaver, Washington, and Westmoreland counties received $250,000. The partnership will use the funding to hire a training coordinator who will work with United Steelworker employer partners to identify training needs, develop training and apprenticeship programs, and help employers expand their existing apprenticeship programs.
In addition, the partnership will fund research into training best practices as well as industry and occupational skill needs. It will also explore pre-apprenticeship programming that supports people who face barriers entering the field.
The North Central PA Manufacturing Next Gen Industry Partnership in Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, McKean, and Potter counties received $250,000. The partnership will use the funding to create an internship program, begin a marketing campaign highlighting manufacturing career pathways, support educator-in-the-workplace programs, expand its manufacturing team to improve the talent pool, and conduct its annual What’s So Cool About Manufacturing video contest.
The South Central Manufacturing Industry Partnership in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, and York counties received $250,000. The partnership will use its funding to build a pipeline of diverse young individuals pursuing careers in manufacturing. It will achieve this by promoting careers in the industry on social media, supporting student and community engagement, providing training for non-English speakers in manufacturing, and building content for the regional manufacturing-specific career portal.
In addition, the partnership will promote connections among manufacturers in the region through employer presentations at partnership meetings, website updates, and facility tours of the region’s manufacturing companies.
The Southeastern Manufacturing Pennsylvania Alliance in Bucks, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties received $250,000. The partnership will use the funding to introduce youth to careers in manufacturing, explore best practices for manufacturing training curriculums, work with manufacturers to develop local supply chains, exchange information with other manufacturers about innovation, and develop a pipeline of diverse workers.
“With Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate holding steady at a record low, it is our collective responsibility to make decisions that are responsive to the needs of both Pennsylvania workers and employers in sectors where talent pipelines are tapped,” Gov. Tom Wolf said. “By investing in workforce development projects, and specifically industry partnerships, we can connect hardworking Pennsylvanians with opportunities to advance their skillsets and obtain family-sustaining jobs in booming industries.”
Since it was founded in 2018, the PAsmart initiative has invested more than $40 million to enhance opportunities for workers through industry partnerships and apprenticeship programs.