Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh/Berks) introduced Wednesday House Bill 425, known as CareerBound, last month to address a lack of school-to-work programs.
CareerBound, which would be administered by the Department of Labor and Industry, would create an innovative workforce development program for middle and high schools. Students would be exposed to career opportunities through internships, job shadowing, career expos and career-education integration initiatives.
Higher-learning institutions would partner with businesses and trade groups to offer these opportunities.
The legislation follows Gov. Tom Wolf’s executive order establishing the Keystone Economic Development and Workforce Command Center, addressing worker and skills gap shortages.
“One thing I think we all need to realize is that a lack of jobs is not the main problem,” Mackenzie said. “It is a lack of individuals with the skills needed to fill the jobs that are available. This disconnect is often referred to as the ‘skills gap.’ We need to do better at working with our business community and education partners to make individuals aware of available career opportunities, the training needed for those careers, and the salary potential they can earn. The governor’s new command center and the CareerBound program should help with that collaboration, which are positive steps in the right direction.”