Jul 2, 2020 | Lindsay Andrews
PA Chamber of Business and Industry President and CEO Gene Barr issued the following statement after Gov. Tom Wolf signed S.B. 637, legislation that helps Pennsylvanians with criminal records re-enter the workforce by reforming the process by which they can obtain an occupational license:
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Jun 26, 2020 | Scranton Times Leader
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Feb 28, 2020 | Tricia Harris
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation today released a report examining the impact of childcare issues on Pennsylvania’s state economy. The report is part of a broader “Untapped Potential” study of four U.S. states – Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania – that reveals the cost of childcare challenges in each state and provides opportunities to unlock economic potential for states and employers.
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Feb 24, 2020 | Lindsay Andrews
In this era of partisan bickering, it often seems as if there is little Republicans and Democrats can accomplish. But despite all the gridlock reported in media headlines, the Pennsylvania State Senate recently approved my bill, S.B. 637, by a unanimous vote. Their strong support for the legislation further underscores an emerging bipartisan consensus towards commonsense criminal justice reform that facilitates former inmates’ successful re-entry into our workforce and communities.
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Feb 24, 2020 | Lindsay Andrews
By Secretary Teresa Miller
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Feb 14, 2020
Mandatory infrastructure upgrades are forcing contractors and utilities to rapidly increase work capacity. However, this is completely dependent upon companies having the trained staff available to tackle a growing list of projects. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Pennsylvania alone needs to add about 137,000 construction workers by 2021 in order to keep up with demand. Not only does this require hiring new employees, but also retaining and developing them to keep pace with the needs of the nation’s infrastructure.
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Feb 11, 2020
STEM careers continue to grow with 75% of the fast-growing occupations over the next 10 years requiring significant preparation in math and science. With women making up less than 25% of the STEM workforce, we must help young girls, especially those possibly suppressing their interest in STEM classes, see themselves in those jobs
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Jan 16, 2020 | Tricia Harris
The Pennsylvania Chamber Educational Foundation is proud to launch "Your Career Starts HERE" – an online career calculator aimed at helping Pennsylvania students make informed post-secondary education decisions. As the next phase of the PA Chamber’s wide-ranging workforce initiative aimed at addressing the jobs skills gap, Start the Conversation HERE, the calculator pulls key Pennsylvania specific information – including starting salary, educational costs and potential loan payments upon graduation. This new website tool is designed to help Pennsylvania students determine the most productive career path.
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Nov 19, 2019
Workforce development and addressing the Commonwealth’s jobs skills gap continue to be a major focus for the business community. As a cornerstone of the PA Chamber’s mission, our organization – through our Start the Conversation Here initiative – has been working to bridge the gap between Pennsylvania employers’ current and future employment needs and the skills of today’s workforce. Pennsylvania’s diverse employment needs across a wide range of industries provide ample job opportunities. However, the state continues to have people without jobs and job opportunities without the people with the skills to fill them. Despite the good paying, in-demand careers that the skilled trades provide, they still tend to get overlooked by students and their families.
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Oct 10, 2019
Tucked away in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania College of Technology is building a career-ready workforce. As a special mission affiliate of Penn State, Penn College has advanced to become a nationally ranked, premier technical institution where a Penn College degree—combining a comprehensive education with hands-on experience using advanced technologies—is a considerable advantage in the world of work. With a history of innovation and flexibility to meet emerging, real-world needs, the institution is positioned to attain even greater levels of success.
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Aug 20, 2019 | Tricia Harris
The Pennsylvania Chamber Educational Foundation is proud to announce that 24 Commonwealth students have been awarded a total of $75,000 in mikeroweWORKS Work Ethic Scholarships. The selected students are attending technical schools located within the Commonwealth to pursue careers in the skilled trades. As part of its ongoing commitment to address the Commonwealth’s job skills gap, the PA Chamber Educational Foundation has teamed up with the mikeroweWORKS Foundation for the past three years.
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Aug 6, 2019 | Lindsay Andrews
Vincent readily admits he was immature in his early 20s, a time when he was partying and convicted of driving under the influence, making false statements to police and retail theft.
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Aug 5, 2019 | Lindsay Andrews
Businesses that employ people with disabilities not only fill available labor needs, but often realize additional benefits and business opportunities. Employees with disabilities often assist companies in reaching NEW markets, suggesting product and process improvements, improving an organization's turnover rates and much more.
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Jul 24, 2019 | Scranton Times-Tribune
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Jul 24, 2019 | Wyoming County Examiner
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Jun 28, 2019 | Philadelphia Inquirer
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May 22, 2019 | Lori K. Renne
Our recent All Business podcast takes us back to school where we are talking to Dr. Ruth Patterson at Olney Charter High School in Philadelphia about their JAG program—Job’s for America’s Graduates. Listen in and learn how this program is teaching students employability skills and increases their workforce opportunities, all while reducing poverty and unemployment.
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May 10, 2019 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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May 3, 2019 | Tricia Harris
The PA Chamber of Business and Industry is proud to announce an expansion of its far-reaching workforce development efforts with the hire of Allen Norton as the organization’s first workforce development executive.
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Apr 29, 2019
Around 60 percent of veteran-owned businesses have experienced at least one financial shortfall, according to a recent report on veteran entrepreneurs. Beyond that, 75 percent of veteran entrepreneurs who were surveyed said that a lack of social capital — networks, mentors and other experts — was their biggest challenge to starting and growing their business.
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Feb 13, 2019
Since 2010, national and regional studies have been ringing the bell about a shortage of skilled and qualified employees coming our way. The future is now here.
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Jan 10, 2019
With the goal of building a better local and regional workforce, the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County and the county’s educational leaders have joined forces to begin addressing the workforce needs of employers across industry sectors.
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Nov 19, 2018
Interview with PIA President CEO Suzanne Markel:
Congratulations on landing the Number One spot in Forbes’s “Top Trade School” List! What is the energy level at the school — and with your students — after receiving this honor?
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Oct 25, 2018
In a recent webinar presented by the PA Chamber Education Foundation; Joe Harford, founder and president of cyber security company Reclamere, provided an overview of why the c-level must be involved in workforce to compete and remain in business.
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Aug 23, 2018
High School Leverages Cross-Sector Partnerships to Train Students for 21st-Century Careers Recent reports from the Allegheny Conference on Community Development have examined an impending workforce shortfall and persistent skills gap that pose challenges to business growth in western Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh area high school Nazareth College and Career Prep is addressing these issues head-on through cross-sector partnerships that allow the school to equip its students with in-demand skills and connect them to future employers.
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Aug 20, 2018
The recession, an aging workforce, and an increasing emphasis on high tech jobs have produced a shortage of skilled workers, particularly those in trades that require special training and certification. It is estimated that about 1 million skilled workers were fired or laid off during the recession, a number that still hasn’t been replaced. The National Electrical Contractors Association reports that approximately 10,000 electricians retire each year, with only an estimated 7,000 available to fill those positions - plumbers, carpenters, welders and other skilled trades face similar gaps, creating a potentially dangerous shortfall of qualified employees to replace workers who are retiring from skilled trade jobs.
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Jul 23, 2018
The All Business podcast welcomes Dr. Maurice Flurie, CEO of Commonwealth Charter Academy. Commonwealth Charter Academy not only concentrates on fostering each students’ achievement, but also on the family – offering support and services so the family is integral to the learning environment!
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Jan 16, 2018 | Lori K. Renne
Today I was inspired and motivated by second chances. I had the privilege of attending HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College's S.T.E.P. Academy graduation. The graduates were made up of a group of men and one woman who, in their past, maybe took a wrong turn, but were there now to make a right one. Who were ready to "step up" and make a better future for themselves and ready themselves with the tools they need to be successful in today's workforce.
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To be successful in today’s global economy, Pennsylvania must develop and harness the talent, skills and capacities of its citizens. Students must be prepared and workers must be able to adapt and continually acquire the training and skills required in the modern workplace. Unfortunately, public workforce development programs are too often based on out-of-date industrial models and not designed to meet current needs.
The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry strongly encourages policymakers to undertake regular and thorough reviews of existing workforce development programs to make sure each is achieving its objective at an acceptable cost-per-participant. These reviews should include a cost-benefit analysis and always strive to reduce fragmentation and provide more efficient delivery of services. Moreover, these reviews should be readily available to the public.
In addition, the Pennsylvania Chamber supports:
- The establishment of clear performance criteria and system-wide accountability standards for all public workforce training programs;
- Regular monitoring of program administration and outcomes to assess efficacy and facilitate continual improvement of all existing public workforce training programs, as well as addressing any regulatory obstacles that prevent or inhibit ideal program implementation and operation;
- Efforts to eliminate bias against vocational education programs;
- Expanding and improving educational options in the technical fields and others that require some level of post-secondary education to help job-seekers meet the requirements for employers in the economy of today and in the future;
- Systems that efficiently connect job seekers with job openings; particularly for those occupations where there are significant and growing opportunities;
- Determining current and long-term community workforce needs, tailoring local programs accordingly and creating nimble systems that can react in a timely way to market demands;
- Promotion of public-private partnerships and private sector educational and training programs, such as apprenticeships and other innovative approaches to providing workplace experience and skill attainment opportunities; and
- Encouraging institutions of higher education to offer courses that align with workforce needs, such as online programs, that are structured to best facilitate participation from non-traditional students.
