PathWays PA Policy Blog

From our friends at CLASP and NNSP CLASP and NNSP are hosting a free webinar Thursday from 2:00PM-3:30PM on workforce development systems. In this webinar co-sponsored by the Center for Law and Social Policy(CLASP) and the National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP), participants will learn about two successful and complementary approaches that states and communities have adopted to help individuals attain skills and credentials, help meet employers' workforce needs, and strengthen the economic vitality of communities. Sector initiatives (regional industry-focused workforce partnerships) customize solutions for multiple employers and increase access to good jobs for low-income individuals. Career pathways connect progressive levels of basic skills and postsecondary education, training, and supportive services to optimize the progress and success of individuals. Webinar participants will learn about the characteristic strengths of each approach and how they can be combined f...

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) , originally passed by Congress in 1998 and never reauthorized, provides a framework for a national workforce preparation and employment system. Improvements on the law are long overdue. One bill, H.R. 803 passed the House by a vote of 215-202. The Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act (H.R. 803) would narrow the range of perspectives on state and local Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) by focusing on the representation of businesses with immediate and long-term employment opportunities in industries that are in demand and by eliminating requirements that boards include those involved in one-stop delivery or education and training on a day-to-day basis. The SKILLS Act does not meet the needs of different job seekers. The SKILLS Act weakens workforce investment with every amendment it makes. Considering the high rates of joblessness in the United States, we need to invest wisely in the American workforce now more t...

Register for a  free webinar today beginning at 11AM to discuss what regional, industry focused workforce development partnerships – sector initiatives – can do to address the problem of employment disparities by race and ethnicity. You'll learn about the problem of employment disparities. Then, sector initiative leaders will share what they are doing to address those disparities – and what your industry-focused workforce development partnership can do to make a difference. Panelists include: • Algernon Austin Director, Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy Economic Policy Institute  • Saru Jayaraman Co-Founder and Co-Director, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United Director, Food Labor Research Center, UC Berkeley Labor Center  • Hnin Hnin National High Road Coordinator, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United  • John Gardner Director of Business Services, Worksystems Workforce Investment Manager, Construction Apprenticeship and Workforce Solutions

From our friends at INSIGHT and NNSP . Join us for a free webinar this Thursday, March 1 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific / 2:00 - 3:30 PM Eastern "How do alternative staffing organizations help low-wage workers gain employment?" "What are the outcomes of alternative staffing organizations?" "How do alternative staffing organizations function as business enterprises?" "How can workforce development organizations incorporate alternative staffing into their service delivery model?" This webinar provides an opportunity for sector initiatives and others to learn about alternative staffing organizations (ASOs), which use a fee-for-service model to help unemployed job-seekers gain employment. Like sector initiatives, ASOs serve as intermediaries in their local labor markets, providing supports and opportunities for job-seekers while becoming trusted sources of employees for their business customers. In the webinar, staff from Goodwill Staffing ...

by Mark S. Schweiker, 44th governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania As the state Senate comes into the homestretch of a difficult legislative session , it has a chance to take a major step forward for Pennsylvania’s businesses and economy by passing Lancaster County Republican Sen. Mike Brubaker’s Industry Partnership legislation. Pennsylvania’s 70-plus Industry (training) Partnerships tied to key industry clusters in each region are the foundation of a 21st century human capital infrastructure that is becoming a key competitive advantage for the state. At their most basic, Industry Partnerships fix a long-standing flaw in government training programs: They bring businesses together to identify skill gaps and to ensure that training plugs those gaps.  This is a vast improvement on a tradition of training by providers without deep ties to employers. Many of the training needs that Industry Partnerships identify focus on mid-skill technical jobs critical to competitiveness...

Last week, PathWays PA held a series of presentations focused on community colleges at the national and state level.  Presenters included Vickie Choitz from CLASP and Brandon Roberts from the Working Poor Families Project as well as information from PathWays PA.  For those who are interested, the presentations are viewable below.  PathWays PA's newest report, " Pennsylvania's Workforce: The Role of Community Colleges" can be found on our website. CLASP Presentation Working Poor Families Project Presentation PathWays PA Presentation

If you support the Industry Partnership program, please sign on today to a letter of support that will go out to the General Assembly . Earlier this year, the State House unanimously passed a bill that would put the Industry Partnership program into statute, ensuring that it remains funded for years to come. Since then, a nearly identical Senate bill has been voted out of committee but now awaits the vote of the entire State Senate. Unless legislators hear from you, this legislation will not be voted on before the end of the session. Without passing legislation to put the Industry Partnership program in statute, there is no guarantee that it will be funded next year. Please take a moment to sign on today ! You can read the letter of support at http://workforcepa.com/sign-letter-support-industry-partnership-legislation-click-link-bottom-page .

There is tremendous urgency to help workers impacted by the recession reenter the labor market. However, many workers lack the specific skills employers require, leaving employers to struggle to find skilled workers in certain industries, even in times of economic slowdown. Earlier this week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act (HR 1855). The SECTORS Act creates partnerships of businesses, unions, the public workforce system, and education and training providers to come together to develop and implement plans that target job training at the current and anticipated skill needs of industries within a geographic region. These partnerships improve worker training, retention and advancement by developing skill standards, career pathways, job redefinitions, and shared training and support capacities. Now that this bill has passed the House, it will move onto the Senate. Please contact your Senators ...

Yesterday, Industry Partnership (IP) legislation passed unanimously out of committee and is now on its way to debate on the state Senate floor. IP's are consortia of businesses with similar products, markets and human resources needs that come together to identify and address common workforce education and training issues. Currently, more than 6,300 employers across Pennsylvania participate in 74 Industry Partnerships, and more than 73,000 Pennsylvanians have benefited from IP training. Individuals trained through Industry Partnerships see an average wage increase of over 6 percent as a result of their training. The Industry Partnership bill amends the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Act to make Industry Partnerships a permanent part of Pennsylvania’s workforce development system. It will require the Department of Labor and Industry to continue defining targeted industries and High Priority Occupations and to administer a grant program when funds are made available. Plea...

Two weeks ago, the National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP) , an initiative of the Insight Center for Community Economic Development , hosted a webinar that offers listeners a sector-based solution for eliminating gender disparities in the workforce. The webinar, which you can listen to here , features speakers from Workforce Results , Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) , and the National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP) . Using interactive slideshows, the webinar highlights current employment trends and gender-based workforce inequities. Additionally, the webinar covers the resources, policies, and sector-based solutions available for improving women’s integration and earnings in job sectors, specifically in Green and Non-Traditional Jobs. Susan Crandall, President of Workforce Results, begins the webinar by looking at how current industry analysis helps explain the significant earnings gap between men and women . According to Crandall, women occupy more low-paying jobs than t...

WHO: Dr. Robert Garraty, Deputy Secretary of Workforce Development - Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Frank Carey, Executive Director - Delaware County Workforce Investment Board Carol Goertzel, President/CEO - PathWays PA WHAT: Delaware County Healthcare Partnership 2nd Annual Breakfast WHEN: May 14, 2010 - 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM WHERE: The Drexelbrook 4700 Drexelbrook Drive, Drexel Hill, PA 19026 Contact policy@pathwayspa.org for more information On May 14, 2010, PathWays PA and the Delaware County Healthcare Partnership will celebrate the accomplishments of employers, workers, and workforce development partners who have recognized the economic value that healthcare training brings to our community. Dr. Robert Garraty, Deputy Secretary of Workforce Development in the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, will be the keynote speaker at this important event. The Delaware County Healthcare Partnership meets the growing need for an appropriately skille...

Date : May 14, 2010 Time : Networking: 8-8:30 AM Program: 8:30-10:30 AM Location : Drexelbrook Corporate Events Center 4700 Drexelbrook Drive Drexel HIll, PA 19026 Keynote Speaker : Dr. Robert Garraty, Deputy Secretary of Workforce Development, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Join us as we recognize workers' achievements, honor the contributions of employers and the dedication of our educators and award our first-ever scholarships for continuing education.  RSVP to Ann DelCollo at 610-543-5022 x221 or by emailing her at adelcollo@pathwayspa.org .

As many of you know, the Department of Labor and Industry’s Industry Partnerships legislation ( HB 2230 ) unanimously passed the House of Representatives last week. It will now be referred to the Senate’s Labor and Industry Committee when they return on April 12. The Industry Partnership bill amends the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Act to make Industry Partnerships a permanent part of Pennsylvania’s workforce development system. It will require the Department of Labor and Industry to continue defining targeted industries and High Priority Occupations , and to administer a grant program when funds are made available. What can you do to help pass this important legislation? Call your legislators today to ask them to vote for the Industry Partnerships bill! If you don’t know who represents you or the district in which your business is located, visit http://www.legis.state.pa.us/ . A script is below if you would like to use it: If your legislator is on the Senate Labor and...

This week is Workforce Solutions Week , which means there are events all across the state to highlight local successes, expand the reach of local projects, and deepen the community relationships that are essential for future growth and stability.  Please come to one or more of the events in your area, and follow @WorkResults on Twitter for more information!

From our friends at NNSP Dear NNSP friend, As Congress prepares to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act, we need your help to ensure that sector partnerships are part of the final bill. The Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act of 2009 – introduced in the Senate by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and in the House by Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA) and Rep. Todd Platts (R-PA) - would establish a new federal grant program under WIA to support the creation and expansion of sector partnerships on the local and regional level. The bill has received strong bipartisan support in Congress: In the Senate : Endorsed by Patty Murray (D-WA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). In the House of Representatives : Endorsed by Steve Austria (R-OH), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Charles Dent (R-PA), Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Phil Hare (D-IL), James Langevin (D-RI), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Michael Michaud (D...

As the budget debate continues, so too does the plight of the Industry Partnership program. In today's Patriot-News , Dr. Roger Longenderfer discusses the critical need for the program: Senate Bill 850, which is now the basis for budget negotiations, zeroed out the governor's recommended funding for some of Pennsylvania's most successful work force development programs, industry partnerships and incumbent worker training. This has indeed become a budget about priorities. But certainly, and especially in our economic climate, programs that help our state develop a stronger work force should be a priority. The elimination of these funds could dismantle a work force system that is thriving in south-central Pennsylvania and has produced real results for its workers, its businesses and the economy. Our state's work force development system takes an industry-led, demand-driven approach, connecting training and education programs to the critical needs of industry. The Ind...

Kelly Lewis, the president and chief executive officer of TechQuest Pennsylvania , wrote an op-ed on 9/4/09 with this headline. Below is an excerpt, but you can also read the full op-ed in The Central Penn Business Journal . "....To compete globally, Pennsylvania needs nothing short of a transformation. Innovative Industry Partnership workforce training was helping lead the transformation, but now appears destined to be zeroed-out. Killing innovation is the race to the bottom. Killing industry partnership workforce training is the race to the bottom. We need strategies designed to position Pennsylvania to race to the top."

Even though students are learning, and employers are benefiting from the Industry Partnership program, budget proposals before the Pennsylvania General Assembly cut or eliminate the program. Pennsylvania’s Industry Partnerships are working by connecting the workforce to education and training programs, which are a critical need for industry today. Please call your legislators now, ask them to support the Industry Partnerships, and related training activities. PathWays PA works with the Industry Partnership program through convening the Delaware County Healthcare Partnership, where the goal is to meet employers’ needs while also providing low-wage healthcare workers with the tools necessary to advance in earnings. Through this Partnership, workers improve their Math and English skills for the Nursing Entrance Exam. Those who need to also learn English as a second language to improve workplace communication and enhance job performance. Over 550 people took part in the courses over the...

As the budget discussion continues, I am writing today regarding several programs of critical importance to Pennsylvania. First, the Industry Partnership (IP) program, which allows employers to improve and expand their workforce by bringing together companies committed to the development of their workforce. This program provides workers with access to skills training, allowing them to maintain their jobs and/or obtain employment with sufficient wages to adequately support their families. More than 6,300 businesses are involved with more than 70 IPs across the state, providing a powerful, cost-effective way to recruit and retain a 21st century workforce in Pennsylvania. The next program of critical concern is Child Care Works Subsidy. These subsidies are of particular importance because child care is often the most expensive item in a family’s budget, and yet a cost that must be paid by most working families. These subsidies make child care, and therefore work, a possibility for man...

It’s not too often that business owners, workers, educational leaders, and respected advocates can join together on behalf of an inexpensive program that benefits everyone, but that is what happens every day through the Industry Partnership program. Industry Partnerships bring together employer consortiums that promote opportunities to improve and expand the workforce, something that is particularly important during a recession. PathWays PA convenes the Delaware County Healthcare Partnership, comprised of employers, educators and workforce development entities dedicated to working with low-wage healthcare workers to develop career paths and increase their earnings while improving the competitive position of healthcare providers. The Partnership’s multi-faceted training approach raises workers’ skills and credentials to meet employers’ needs while creating opportunities for low-wage healthcare workers to learn the tools necessary to advance in their earnings and careers. In the past y...