Gov. Tom Wolf recently toured ongoing renovations at the Iron Workers Training Center in Pittsburgh, which has received $750,000 in Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funding to expand the facility and increase the number of apprentices who will be trained there.
The $4.2 million project adds a second floor to the facility as well as expand and upgrade the first floor. The union anticipates increasing the number of apprentices from approximately 90 last year to more than 300 next year.
“Western Pennsylvania has more ironworker jobs open than there are skilled workers to fill them,” Wolf said. “I am investing in apprenticeships and job training like this, so we can meet the demand for workers to build the cracker plant, manufacturing facilities, bridges and many other projects that are creating jobs.”
The PAsmart initiative will invest $30 million in workforce development, including $7 million for apprenticeships. The program aims to double the number of registered apprentices by 2025. The number of registered apprentices in Pennsylvania has increased by nearly 20 percent from 13,282 registered apprentices to nearly 16,000 since Gov. Wolf established the Apprenticeship and Training Office in 2016.
PAsmart also includes a $3 million increase for the Industry Partnerships program, which connects businesses with educational and economic development partners to provide job training.