Sen. Fontana Discusses Workforce Development

Last week, I told you about the launch of PA Works, a jobs plan crafted by the Senate Democrats, that could result in 28,000 new jobs, $2 billion in private investment and a general fund savings of $150 million. 

Just this past Friday, I had the opportunity to share the plan with members of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and was pleased by the feedback.  Detail on the small business component of the plan was in last week’s News & Views.  This week, the focus is on the second component – workforce development.

A recent report from the U.S. Department of Education found that only 20% of our current workforce holds the skills that 60% of our 2oth century economy requires.  When companies make location or relocation decisions, often a trained workforce can be as important as any other factor.  If we want to compete in a national and global economy, a well-trained workforce is absolutely essential.

The proposal to create a world class workforce includes four separate bills.  The first would create a one-stop system for workforce investment and education services by consolidating all such programs in the Department of Labor & Industry.  This restructuring would also allow PA to fully leverage federal subsidies.

The “Train to Work PA” program is an individual, employer-driven program coordinated through the Workforce Investment Board and is based on the successful Georgia Works Program.  It partially subsidizes wages of employees receiving on-the-job training for positions that could lead to permanent employment.  Priority for participation in the program would be given to those individuals who are currently receiving unemployment benefits and would be funded through the use of federal dislocated worker funds.

The “Shared Work PA” program has been modeled on a successful program in Missouri.  It would enable employers to avoid layoffs by reducing hours and wages for employees.  The employees would then be able to collect a portion of unemployment benefits to make up for the reduced wages.

Finally, PA has already become a world leader in green energy investment, but we need to ensure a properly trained clean energy workforce.  Legislation would allocate $15 million over three years for grants to eligible entities to offer job training in “green” industries.  The funding for the program would come from a reallocation of unused funds in the Pollution Control Technology Projects.

A recent report in our Commonwealth details the manufacturing industry's need for a skilled and highly trained workforce. There are 72,000 individuals working in this field as precision machinists and industrial maintenance technicians in Pennsylvania. The PA Center for Advanced Manufacturing Careers estimates that employers will need between 15,000 and 17,000 more during the next decade.  With targeted investment in programs that we know work, and redeployment of unused program funds, we can take a substantial step in addressing our Commonwealth’s workforce needs.