Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA) announced that $4.9 million will be awarded to 14 Pennsylvania apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs in the field of building and construction trades.
According to a release by Wolf on July 14, each of the apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship programs will use the grant funds to create talent pipelines, reach underrepresented populations and also expand workforce development opportunities across 55 Pennsylvania counties. An example of a grant is $446,247 to IBEW Local 163 JATC, which will serve 96 people through a five-year apprenticeship program. This includes 40 people from underrepresented populations.
“Throughout history, apprenticeships have been a vital part of career education in certain fields,” Wolf said. “Through these important grants, we are offering more Pennsylvania workers opportunities to train for family-sustaining jobs while helping businesses develop a workforce that will strengthen our economy and the communities most in need.”
The grants are offered through the Department of Labor and Industry (L & I) Apprenticeship and Training Office (ATO). They are part of the PA Statewide Movement for Accountability, Readiness and Training (PAsmart) framework. The focus is for better aligning education, workforce and economic development initiatives and funding.
The ATO was established in 2016 and supports and expands registered apprenticeship programs across the state. Currently it supports 17,000 active apprentices, more than 1,500 active occupation specific apprenticeships and 94 occupation specific pre-apprenticeship programs.
“Apprenticeship offers workers the opportunity to advance their careers while earning a paycheck, and it empowers employers to develop the specific skills they need among their employees to be successful in a dynamic economy,” Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jennifer Berrier said. We need to make sure this workforce development model is accessible to workers of all backgrounds. Giving all Pennsylvanians the opportunity to earn wages while learning in-demand skills is a major step toward achieving diversity, equity and inclusion among the commonwealth’s workforce.”
This grant opportunity was designed by the Wolf Administration to meet the needs of increased employment opportunities in building and construction trades due to the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Biden signed in November 2021.
The grant recipients include four apprenticeship programs, nine pre-apprenticeship programs and one that focuses on both. They have all designed new or built upon existing programs in the building and construction trades serving underrepresented populations like women, minorities, veterans, socio-economic disadvantaged individuals, people who speak English as a second language and those who were incarcerated and facing barriers to employment.
Alerts Sign-up