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News
Workforce development news from Pennsylvania and across the U.S.
Department of Labor & Industry: Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate at 4.2 percent
Text of Nov. 15 press release.
Total nonfarm jobs reach new record high.
Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) released its employment situation report for October 2019.
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was up two-tenths of a percentage point from September to 4.2 percent. The national rate was up one-tenth of a percentage point over the month to 3.6 percent. The commonwealth’s unemployment rate matched last October’s rate while the national rate was down two-tenths of a percentage point over the year.
Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – was up 23,000 over the month to 6,516,000, the fourth straight gain. Employment was up by 13,000 and unemployment rose by 11,000.
The estimated number of jobs in Pennsylvania, referred to as total nonfarm jobs, increased 8,400 over the month to a record high of 6,065,000 in October. Jobs were up in 10 of the 11 industry supersectors. The largest supersector movement from September was a gain of 2,500 professional & business services jobs. Trade, transportation & utilities, education & health services all rose to record high levels in October.
Over the year, total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were up 34,300 with gains in nine of the 11 supersectors. The largest volume change from last October among supersectors was an increase of 11,300 government jobs, buoyed by gains in all three component sectors (federal, state, and local).
Additional information is available on the L&I website at www.dli.pa.gov or by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Note: The above data are seasonally adjusted. Seasonally adjusted data provide the most valid month-to-month comparison.
Media contacts: Penny Ickes or Theresa Elliott, 717-787-7530 or dlipress@pa.gov
Department of Labor & Industry: Wolf administration to invest $3.5 million in job training for students
Harrisburg, PA – The Wolf Administration to invest $3.5 million in students and young adults to provide job training and work experiences that will increase their skills and strengthen Pennsylvania’s workforce, Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jerry Oleksiak announced today.
“Pennsylvania employers need skilled workers to help them succeed and thrive,” said Secretary Oleksiak. “The State/Local Internship Program creates a diverse and job-ready talent pool for employers, while providing students with career experience as they prepare to enter the workforce.”
L&I will provide $3.5 million in grants from State/Local Internship Program (SLIP) funds is to local workforce development boards (LWDBs). These programs provide eight-week, full-time, paid work experiences to young adults between the age of 16 and 24 in a variety of industries including manufacturing, health care, logistics/ transportation, information technology and business services. The 2020 SLIP will operate for eight-weeks between May 1 and August 28, 2020.
“Last year the commonwealth funded SLIP, which helped place more than 1,128 youth and young adults in summer internships at 657 worksites across Pennsylvania,” Oleksiak added. “These partnerships provide participating interns with the crucial first work experience that helps develop the job skills they need for future employment success.”
The grant funding to encourage job training opportunities supports Governor Tom Wolf’s PAsmart initiative to create the strongest workforce in the nation. The governor secured $70 million for PAsmart over two years, including $40 million for science and technology education and $30 million for apprenticeships and job training programs.
The 2020 SLIP is funded 100 percent through federal money made available from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. LWDBs are encouraged to apply for SLIP funding. Businesses or other entities interested in in applying must submit applications through their LWDBs.
Additional details and the grant application can be found on L&I’s website. The deadline to apply is January 3, 2020.
For more information about pursuing an education and career in Pennsylvania at any stage of life, visit PAsmart.
Additional information is available on the L&I website at www.dli.pa.gov or by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Media contacts: Penny Ickes or Theresa Elliott, 717-787-7530 or dlipress@pa.gov
Rep. Craig Staats: Governor signs Staats bill to overhaul career and technical education, promote workforce development
HARRISBURG – This week, Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law a bill sponsored by Rep. Craig Staats (R-Bucks), which represents the most significant reform of Pennsylvania’s career and technical (CTE) education laws in more than 30 years.
“Act 76 – 2019 is an omnibus bill aimed at enhancing career and technical education, job training and workforce development that will help to prepare Pennsylvania students for the workforce and attract employers and economic development to the Commonwealth,” said Staats.
“I am particularly proud of a provision in the bill that I advanced, which will provide high school and college students with access to information regarding the transfer policies of other educational institutions,” Staats said. “Act 76 expands an existing searchable online database at the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to provide students with information on the transfer policies between public schools and institutions of higher education, helping them to avoid spending thousands of dollars on coursework and materials only to learn that credits will not transfer to certain institutions.”
The new law requires school districts, intermediate units, vocational-technical schools, charter schools and cyber charter schools – as well as Northern Pennsylvania Regional College, state-related institutions, and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, to submit their transfer agreements, known as articulation agreements, to PDE for inclusion in the database.
Act 76 also establishes an online career resource center; surveys existing workforce development programs that emphasize business-education partnerships and develops best practices to enhance these efforts. It also requires occupational advisory committees to be established at Intermediate Units (IU) to ensure that industry standards are properly integrated into career and technical instructional programming; and creates a grant program for pre-apprenticeship programs for the purpose of establishing or enhancing workforce development partnerships between schools, employers, organizations, or associations to create pathways to learn a trade and ultimately provide employers with a trained workforce.
In addition, it requires a school entity to treat career presenters equally and requires the Commission for Agriculture Education Excellence to develop guidelines identifying the circumstances when a student, who successfully completes an academic course, program or activity for credit, may apply the credit toward completion of an agriculture education program. It codifies PDE guidelines regarding Career and Technology Education Equipment Grants and includes that grant awards can be used to purchase an entire set of tools. It also requires PDE to issue guidelines and update the guidelines every five years identifying the circumstances when a student, who successfully completes a course, program, or activity in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) for credit may apply the credit toward the completion of a course, program, or activity offered by any career and technical school, technical institute, or vocational school or department.
Media contact: Donna Pinkham, 717.260.6452, dpinkham@pahousegop.com
Department of Labor & Industry: Wolf administration announces $2.5 million to connect businesses and schools, boost job training opportunities across Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, PA – Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jerry Oleksiak today urged local workforce development boards (LWBDs) to apply for $2.5 million in new Business-Education Partnership (BEP) grants that will connect businesses and school districts and expand career opportunities throughout Pennsylvania.
“This funding supports one of Governor Tom Wolf’s key workforce development objectives to provide students with the technical training they need to get good-paying jobs when entering the workforce,” Secretary Oleksiak said. “These business and education partnerships give students the skills to succeed in today’s economy, while simultaneously creating new generations of highly-skilled workers for Pennsylvania employers.”
A total of $2.5 million in funding is available through L&I to LWDBs to implement Business-Education Partnership programs. These programs help increase awareness of in-demand technical careers for students, parents, guardians, and school faculty. Each of the 22 statewide LWDBs are strongly encouraged to apply.
“Last year the commonwealth funded Business-Education Partnership grant activities to serve nearly 29,000 individuals across Pennsylvania,” Oleksiak added. “These partnerships benefit employers by educating tomorrow’s workforce about the career and technical education job opportunities that exist and provide students with a solid first-work experience that puts them squarely on the path to future success.”
The partnerships connect schools, employers, and students to provide career-related experiences and opportunities through soft-skills development, internships, workplace shadowing, and career mentoring, all with the goal of informing more students about the need to develop technical skills required by employers.
The Business-Education Partnership grants from L&I are funded at 100 percent through federal money made available from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act.
The grant funding to encourage job training opportunities works supports Governor Wolf’s PAsmart initiative to create the strongest workforce in the nation. The governor secured $70 million for PAsmart over two years, including $40 million for science and technology education and $30 million for apprenticeships and job training programs.
Additional details and the grant application can be found on L&I’s website. The deadline to apply is November 15, 2019.
For more information about pursuing an education and career in Pennsylvania at any stage of life, visit PAsmart.
Additional information is available on the L&I website at www.dli.pa.gov or by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Media contacts: Penny Ickes or Theresa Elliott, 717-787-7530 or dlipress@pa.gov
North Central Region Listening Session
The Keystone Economic Development and Workforce Command Center was created earlier this year to expand the collaboration between government and the private sector to address the skills gap and worker shortages. Charged with identifying impediments to employment and creating strategies for addressing them, the command center is a true public-private partnership bringing together experts from business, industry, and the state – and committing dedicated resources – to ensure our collective economic future is bright.
North Central Region Listening Session
We want to hear from you! Come share your insights and public comments at our listening session to help us better identify the specific barriers job seekers, employers, and workforce professionals face in the North Central region.
L&I announces $2.5m funding opportunity for Youth Reentry
$438 grant extended for cybersecurity education at PCT
The Pennsylvania College of Technology announced a National Science Foundation grant totalling $438,391 aimed at cybersecurity workforce development has been extended for another year.
The grant, “Improving the Pipeline: After-School Model for preparing Cyber Defense and Information Assurance Professionals,” introduces high school students to career possibilities in cybersecurity through interaction with information technology faculty.
“The extension of the NSF grant will allow Penn College to further educate local students and teachers about information assurance and cybersecurity,” said Bradley M. Webb, assistant dean of the college’s Industrial, Computing and Engineering Technologies program.
“Careers are plentiful and we need to infuse the field with high-quality graduates dedicated to securing the data systems we rely on daily. This program, developed with NSF support, helps accomplish that goal,” he said.
During the past two years, students from Williamsport, Jersey Shore, Muncy and Hughesville high schools have visited Penn College each week to learn about the field.
Governor: Startup selects Northampton County as best location to establish first manufacturing site
Text of Aug. 8 press release.
Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Tom Wolf announced that Continental Cup Company (CCC), a manufacturer of high-end graphic paper cups, will establish its first manufacturing operation in the City of Bethlehem, Northampton County. The project will support the creation of 71 jobs in the area.
“I’m proud to welcome Continental Cup Company to Pennsylvania,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “Manufacturing is thriving in the Lehigh Valley and the addition of this new facility helps to keep this momentum going.”
CCC will lease a 40,000-square-foot building in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park. The company has pledged to invest at least $9.5 million into the project, which is expected to create 71 new, full-time jobs over the next three years.
“We are extremely excited for our very first operation in Northampton County and proud of our contribution to the local economy providing family-sustaining jobs that will have a positive impact on Bethlehem and surrounding communities,” said Rick Timone, president of CCC. “The support from the Governor’s Action Team was a key component to making this project a reality. We appreciate Governor Wolf’s support and commitment.”
CCC received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development for a $155,000 Pennsylvania First grant, $142,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits to be to be distributed upon creation of the new jobs, and up to $31,950 in grants for workforce training and development. The company was also encouraged to apply for a low-interest $400,000 loan from the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority to assist with equipment costs. The project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, an experienced group of economic development professionals who report directly to the governor and work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania, with additional coordination through the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC).
“Continental Cup’s move into the Lehigh Valley continues the extraordinary growth of manufacturing that is happening here,” said Don Cunningham, president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation. “We’re grateful for the state’s support and Continental’s interest in making Northampton County its home. Continental joins the nearly 700 manufacturers in the Lehigh Valley that account for $7.4 billion of the region’s $40 billion GDP, making manufacturing our second largest sector.”
CCC is a startup paper cup manufacturing company that will service the theater industry, quick service restaurants, convenience stores and food service distribution companies.
For more information about the Governor’s Action Team or DCED, visit dced.pa.gov.
Media contacts: J.J. Abbott, Governor’s Office, 717.783.1116; Michael Gerber, DCED, 717.783.1132
AirBorn launches $3.7 million expansion in Lake City
LAKE CITY — Jon Nelson, director of operations for AirBorn Inc.’s Lake City plant, made a couple of things clear Wednesday afternoon as he addressed a sea of blue-shirted employees gathered outside for a company announcement.
First, the work they do is important, whether it’s building precision electrical connectors used in deep-water drilling, operating critical systems on F-35 fighter jets or in applications in outer space, Nelson said.
Secondly — and the reason for the gathering of company employees, state and local officials under a giant tent — was that there will soon be a lot more AirBorn employees doing that work.
In fact, the workforce won’t begin to fit under that tent a year from now if all goes as planned.
The employee-owned company announced in May that its Lake City plant, formed in 2002 by the merger of AirBorn and homegrown Caron Enterprises, would invest $3.7 million for new equipment and a 30,000-square-foot expansion, adding about 250 employees over the next three years.
Local employees and company leaders from around the country gathered for the ceremonial groundbreaking for the expansion project, which Nelson expects will be completed by January.
The building is being built by McCormick Structural Systems of Erie. Structural steel was stacked to the east of the existing building Wednesday, waiting for work to begin.
Company officials praised the Governor’s Action Team and state Department of Community and Economic Development for its assistance with the project and for helping to make the decision to expand in Lake City an easier choice for a company that had other options.
Most of the funding, however, is coming from AirBorn, not the government.
The company is receiving a $500,000 grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development, and a second $112,050 workforce development grant to train workers. The company also is eligible for low-interest loans.