$2.6M workforce program open to students
A total of $2.6 million in grants is available to students through a new workforce development program.
Jennifer Berrier, acting secretary of the state Department of Labor & Industry, unveiled the Schools-to-Work program on Wednesday morning. The initiative, according to a news release from L&I, is “to support new partnerships between schools, employers, organizations or associations to create employment and training career paths for students.
The program is an offshoot of Gov. Wolf’s $3 billion Back to Work PA workforce development plan.
Berrier said in the statement: “The Schools-to-Work program grants will create hands-on learning opportunities for students, including apprenticeships, workplace visits and internships that will create career paths to employment or secondary education.
“These funds will help ensure that our workers obtain the industry-recognized skills, certifications or college credits needed to put them on a solid career path to employment and help meet current and future labor market needs.”
The grants will be awarded and funded in a competitive fashion, in increments up to $250,000. Learning opportunities for students will include classroom training, workplace visits, internships, apprenticeships, mentorships, employment opportunities, job shadowing or externships.
Proposals from applicants must focus on developing programs that would fill existing and anticipated labor market needs in a specific region.
An applicant must be registered with L&I as a pre-apprenticeship program. Grant applications are due at 4 p.m. on April 14. Schools-to-Work will run from June 1 through all of 2023.
The grants are funded by federal Reemployment funds.
For more information, visit L&I’s website, www.dli.pa.gov.