Need to succeed: Shapiro Administration, workforce leaders address state’s labor future
March 07, 2024 | Online Article lvb.com
Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Nancy A. Walker met with state workforce development community leaders this week to discuss the Shapiro Administration’s efforts to create economic opportunity and ensure employers have access to the skilled workers they need to succeed.
First Lady Lori Shapiro joined Secretary Walker for a stop focused on innovative employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities.
“The workforce challenges we face today are significant, but they are not insurmountable,” Walker said in a statement. “With collaboration across the commonwealth and the talents of so many workforce development professionals embedded in Pennsylvania communities, I am optimistic about the future for Pennsylvania workers and the employers who depend on us. The time to invest in that future is now.”
Walker and First Lady Shapiro visited Community Options’ Daily Plan It in Newtown in Bucks County to learn about how the nonprofit organization is developing innovative employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities.
Community Options is a national nonprofit that develops housing and employment for people with disabilities. The Daily Plan It is an entrepreneurial business that provides job training and competitive integrated employment to people with disabilities.
At Montgomery County Community College, Walker and her L&I team shared the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to skills-based hiring. Gov. Josh Shapiro on his first day in office signed an Executive Order announcing 92% of state government jobs no longer require a four-year college degree.
The Shapiro Administration is finalizing plans for the Commonwealth Workforce Transformation Project, a first-in-the-nation workforce training program leveraging $400 million in federal funding for on-the-job training to create thousands of new jobs. The project is designed to provide organizations involved in infrastructure projects with up to $40,000 for each new worker they train to accelerate investments from repairing roads and bridges, to modernizing Pennsylvania’s energy, water, and sewer infrastructure.
