Monaca, PA – Governor Tom Wolf today vowed to build the strongest workforce in the nation, citing an example set by the continued expansion of the Shell Center for Process Technology Education at the Community College of Beaver County. While at the center’s Phase II groundbreaking ceremony, the governor congratulated the college for its efforts to train skilled professionals for careers at the Shell Ethylene Cracker Plant and related industry facilities.
One of Gov. Wolf’s initiatives to strengthen Pennsylvania’s workforce is the new Keystone Economic Development and Workforce Command Center, which is led by a team of three private sector industry leaders and three of Wolf Administration cabinet secretaries working together to identify and quickly react to roadblocks faced by businesses in Pennsylvania.
In addition to the Command Center, Gov. Wolf’s plan to create the strongest 21st workforce includes:
- Expanding PAsmart, a new innovative $30 million investment in STEM and computer science education, apprenticeships and job training that prioritizes partnerships among schools, employers and communities. The governor is proposing an additional $10 million for PAsmart to expand job training to more adult workers.
- Proposing the Statewide Workforce, Education, and Accountability Program (SWEAP) in the 2019-20 budget. SWEAP builds on the success of PAsmart to provide opportunities for Pennsylvanians from birth to retirement. The plan expands access to early childhood education, increases investments in schools, and partners with the private sector.
- Launching the Apprenticeship and Training Office resulting in 138 new sponsors and 193 new apprenticeship programs or occupations, increasing the total number of registered apprentices to 16,866 statewide.
- Starting the Manufacturing PA Initiative to support critical training in the important sector of that economy.
- Joining the Skillful State Network, a nonprofit initiative of the Markle Foundation to emphasize the importance of skills so workers, particularly those without four-year college degrees, can get good jobs in the changing economy.
