Author: Lindsay Andrews

Attracting and retaining the next generation of skilled, inspired workers is key to the PA Chamber’s mission and a major part of the multi-tiered workforce development strategy we’re working to implement across the Commonwealth.

How do we entice up-and-coming generations of talent to choose Pennsylvania as the ideal place to work, live, and STAY? One important priority is propelling students into inspiring internships that show them promising career paths; helping them develop the “hard” and “soft” skills that teach them on-site job training and what it means to be a model employee; and assisting them in meeting their academic goals while showing them that there are ample, exciting career opportunities right here in Pennsylvania!

“Through our world-class higher education institutions and diverse industries, Pennsylvania has an opportunity to reverse our brain drain problem and become a magnet for skilled workers and population growth. Offering and promoting internships are a great way to help educate and inspire the next generation of Pennsylvania workers while helping employers fill immediate needs,” PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein said. “The PA Chamber is leading by example. Two current PA Chamber employees began as PA Chamber interns. Our internship program, like so many others, provides students with experience in a variety of fields, including research, writing, technology, policy, communications, and event management – providing invaluable on-job training that will prepare them for the workforce.”

The benefits of internships – both for employers and for employees – are well documented. Research by Strada, an Education Foundation that collaborates with students, policymakers, and other stakeholders to strengthen the link between education and opportunity, shows that college-level employment rates are higher for those who complete an internship across several fields of study. Strada’s research also shows that students with paid internship experience have increased earning power and confidence for the future.

The PA Chamber encourages businesses of all sizes and industries to offer internships as a way to secure Pennsylvania’s long-term economic competitiveness.

In the spring 2024 semester, we welcomed Mackenzie Unger, a student in her final semester at Lebanon Valley College, as an Administrative Intern. During her time at the Chamber, Mackenzie engaged directly on a number of assignments for PA Chamber President Luke Bernstein and the PA Chamber Board of Directors.

“Mackenzie was an eager, intelligent, and committed intern during the months she spent here, and we were thrilled to have her as a member of our team,” Bernstein said. “Not only did she do a great job executing her assignments, but she was friendly, professional, and had a natural skill you really look for in an employee – a willingness to engage with the people around her. Any employer would be fortunate to have her on board.”

To read the full profile on Mackenzie, check out our blog post!

 

Join us NEXT Wednesday, June 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. for a FREE webinar regarding the impact of the U.S. Department of Labor’s new overtime eligibility standard, increasing the salary threshold exemption on the employer community.

DOL’s recent ruling increases the salary threshold at which employees may be exempt from overtime pay from $35,568 to $43,888 effective July 1; and then to $58,656 by the beginning of 2025, with automatic increases every three years based on wage data. The webinar will feature McNees Wallace & Nurick attorneys Adam Long and Austin Wolfe, who will discuss the significant implications of the DOL’s administrative action on Pennsylvania employers’ compliance with overtime pay, along with options and next steps you can take to protect your business! Earn continuing education credits for attending this hour of critical insights!

Register here.

The PA Chamber recently joined a national coalition of business associations in calling on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to protect small business owners from excessive federal regulations.

 

In a letter led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and signed by more than 250 groups nationwide (including the PA Chamber and 18 local chambers of commerce in Pennsylvania), the signatories urged members of the House of Representatives to speedily consider and advance H.R. 7198, the Prove It Act of 2024.

 

This legislation would close loopholes in existing legislation (the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980) that federal agencies often exploit to impose unreasonable regulatory costs on Main Street employers. According to the U.S. Chamber, the annual cost of complying with federal regulations has risen by $465 billion since 2012 and now totals more than $3 trillion per year. This means a staggering 12 percent of the United States’ entire GDP is spent on regulatory compliance.

 

Furthermore, data from the U.S. Chamber Foundation reveals that small businesses are at a particular disadvantage when it comes to dealing with these regulations. For small businesses with 50 or fewer employees, the costs are nearly 20 percent higher than the average for all businesses.

 

The Prove It Act would close these loopholes by amending the Regulatory Flexibility Act to require federal agencies to be transparent about the costs on small businesses; force agencies to consider small business input when crafting new guidance; and provide for timely court review of whether these agencies are meeting their legal obligations to adequately consider small business in the development of federal rulemaking.

 

This bipartisan legislation would take necessary action to ensure that federal regulators listen to the small business community before imposing costly red tape on America’s innovators, community leaders, and job creators.