In my first year here, I’ve learned a great deal about the opportunities and challenges of our public workforce development system. In speaking with many of our key stakeholders, it’s clear that there is an energy and passion for new, innovative ways to invest in our workforce and drive regional economic growth.  Our partners – business executives, nonprofit leaders, educators, young adults, job seekers and elected officials – have generously shared their insights about what our South Central PA public workforce system needs and what they expect from South Central PA Works.

Their message is clear: South Central PA Works must be impactful, accessible, and driven to invest in our region’s most important resource, its people.

We believe that in order to drive economic progress and success, we must build a strong foundation where our region is a place where the opportunity for growth and prosperity exist for all. Developing and investing in this foundation is central to the mission of South Central PA Works. As such, we have recommitted ourselves to a mission focused on unlocking the human talent that drives the development of businesses, individuals, and ultimately our region.

South Central PA Works has charted a new strategic direction in our effort to be impactful, accessible, and driven to invest in our region’s businesses and people. We are pursuing new solutions that, among others:

• Reform the process for jobseekers to find, prepare for, and acquire employment in growing local industry clusters by investing in employer-designed curriculums and short- term training programs.
• Attract Local, State, and National level resources that are aligned with the needs of our region, providing flexibility to explore innovative programming models and implement promising national practices.
• Strengthen relationships with our business community to clearly understand current and projected labor demand, support sector-driven training models that lead directly to employment, and invest in the development of our future workforce.
• Bridge the gap between education and labor by working directly with school districts, Intermediate Units, Post-Secondary Institutions and community organizations to cultivate our local youth talent pipeline.

We believe in the importance of investing in our region’s businesses and people, and we recognize  the leadership role South Central PA Works plays in developing new ideas and innovative solutions to meet the growth opportunities within the South Central PA region. We are excited about the work that lies ahead of us. We are your regional workforce development partner. Welcome to the new South Central PA Works.