Develop a skilled workforce that meets the needs of Pennsylvania's business community
"Pennsylvania has a lot to be proud of. Businesses are expanding, the economy is growing, and we’re setting all-time jobs records. But we have unfilled jobs and workers who need new, more advanced training."-Governor Tom Wolf
Why is this goal important?
Pennsylvania faces a changing economy that's placing new demands on our workers and businesses. Employers are hiring, but the job-skills gap in today's workforce too often leads to a shortage of qualified job candidates. At the same time, too many workers are employed in low-wage jobs and lack the training they need to compete for in-demand careers. To meet these common challenges, state government, the education sector, labor, and industry must all work together to close the skills gap and build a well-trained workforce.
What are we working on to reach this goal?
Governor
Wolf’s Manufacturing PA
initiative was launched in October 2017, and since then has funded 56 projects
and invested more than $12 million through the Training-to-Career program.
Training-to-Career grants support projects that result in short-term
work-readiness, job placement, or the advancement of manufacturing. In 2021, new
funding was made available to support the Manufacturing
Training-to-Career (MTTC) program to
help businesses develop programs that bring awareness to careers and
opportunities within the state’s manufacturing industry and support companies
in identifying and training a skilled workforce through targeted programs and
service. Continuing the rollout of his groundbreaking PAsmart
initiative,
Governor Tom Wolf announced $10.8 million in PAsmart Advancing Grants to expand
access to computer science and STEM education for Pennsylvania learners.
Combined with PAsmart Targeted Grants announced in 2020, the Wolf
administration has awarded nearly $20 million to bolster STEM and computer
science (CS) in schools during the 2020-21 school year.
How are we doing?
The chart below shows the number of trainings provided to Pennsylvania workers through the following state-supported programs: Local Government Training Partnership (LGTP), Partnership for Regional Economic Performance (PREP), and the Workforce & Economic Development Network of Pennsylvania (WEDnetPA).
Related Measures
Wage Gains from Training
The chart below shows the overall percentage change in wages for Industry Partnerships participants one year after they completed training.
Related Content
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