News Articles
Links to original publications of local news articles about CPWDC, Central PA CareerLink® and workforce and economic development concerns in general are presented here for your convenience.
CPWDC Receives $500,000 Sector Partnerships Grant
Support from the PA Department of Labor and Industry will fund Integrated Education and Training programs for dislocated workers
Lewisburg, PA – The Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corporation (CPWDC) announced today that it has received a $500,000 grant from the PA Department of Labor and Industry that will enhance training services available to job seekers in the region. The award will fund the Pathways to Employment initiative, a new partnership with the North Central and Southern Alleghenies Workforce Development Boards and Adult Basic Education Coalitions that will focus on workers who lack basic skills in reading, math and communications that inhibit them from successfully completing occupational classroom training and sustaining employment.
To reach this hard to serve demographic, CPWDC will partner with local training providers and the PA CareerLink® to develop and pilot an Integrated Education and Training (IET) program. The IET approach provides adult education activities concurrently and contextually with workforce training for a specific occupation. By providing basic education skills and job training in parallel with one another, IET allows the two to be mutually reinforcing.
“We are very excited to be piloting this innovative approach to workforce development,” said Erica Mulberger, Executive Director of CPWDC. “The parallel training approach we hope will decrease the time it takes a participant to learn foundational skills and earn an industry recognized credential. The goal is to enable job seekers to quickly find self-sustaining employment while also providing them with the skills they’ll need to retain that employment.”
The Adult Basic Education Coalition will develop contextualized adult basic education curriculum for at least two in-demand occupations in the manufacturing and healthcare sectors. It will also develop an IET curriculum library that can be used by other workforce development agencies throughout the Commonwealth.
The grant will also serve other long-term unemployed and incumbent workers by increasing funding for on-the-job and classroom training. In total, the grant will support 330 individuals receiving training, education, and work preparation activities, including 250 dislocated workers and 80 incumbent workers. Additional information on how to participate in these trainings will be available at the local PA CareerLink® beginning April 2016.
About CPWDC: CPWDC manages six PA CareerLink® facilities in Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union Counties. We partner with regional educational institutions, economic development organizations, non-profits and industry to better understand workforce needs and to identify and implement solutions that strengthen the region’s workforce. CPWDC is a local Workforce Development Board, a group of 23 community leaders representing private industry, community organizations, labor, education, and economic development.
Click here for a PDF version of the press release.
Updated Documents and Reports
The 2016 High Priority Occupations (HPO) list for Central Pennsylvania has recently been updated by the PA Department of Labor and Industry. These HPOs are in effect from September 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017. Click here to access the 2016 HPO list. The HPO list can also be found throughout CPWDC’s website.
CPWDC’s Research Department recently updated Central Pennsylvania’s regional and county Demographic Profiles. Click here to access the profiles.
CPWDC’s Research Department recently updated Central Pennsylvania’s Commuting Patterns report. Click here to access the report.
The Top Jobs and Top Employers reports have been updated. Both documents can be found on CPWDC’s homepage, and also on the PA CareerLink’s Employment Services page.
CPWDC’s Research Department recently updated Central Pennsylvania’s Youth County Profiles. Click here to access the profiles.
Primus Technologies Receives Governor’s Job Creation Award
Williamsport, PA – Primus Technologies Corp., a leading Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider, has been honored by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry and the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association by receiving the Governor’s Job Creation Award for Central Pennsylvania.
Nominated by the Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corporation (CPWDC), this award recognizes Pennsylvania employers that are exemplary supporters of workforce, community and economic development in the commonwealth, and which have created jobs and partnered to hire skilled workers through Pennsylvania’s workforce development system.
Erica Mulberger, CPWDC Executive Director, stated, “CPWDC nominated Primus Technologies for its commitment to growth and investment in its organization, employees, and local community along with its investment of time and resources in the development of the next generation of workers.”
Since 1994, Primus has been a consistent, reliable partner of the PA CareerLink® Lycoming County hiring candidates through various PA CareerLink® programs. In addition, Primus has consistently supported PA CareerLink® career fairs, Manufacturing Day activities and participated in a Job Connections workshop as an employer speaker at the PA CareerLink®. Primus has proactively partnered with local companies that have suffered job losses due to overseas trade or economic downturn and has directly hired individuals that would have otherwise been unemployed.
During the course of 2014, Primus created 109 positions and grew from 418 to 527 employees. Primus increased its total workforce by 26% throughout 2014 providing highly attractive wages and benefits for families in Central Pennsylvania.
Primus knows the value of career exploration and works with local high schools and colleges. Primus is a corporate sponsor at Saint John Neumann Regional Academy where the company has donated more than $1.1 million since 2008 to support need-based tuition assistance for local families. Primus offers engineering internships, actively recruits at local universities, donates to Pennsylvania College of Technology and serves on its Advisory Board for manufacturing.
Primus received the award on May 6th in Hershey, PA. During the acceptance speech Chris Sullivan, Primus Chairman and CEO noted, “This award is dedicated to the 527 exceptional people at Primus who made this possible through their outstanding dedication to and service of our customers.”
Primus Technologies is a recognized leader in Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS), providing electronics design and manufacturing solutions to industry leaders worldwide. Primus Technologies serves Fortune 500 companies in Aerospace, Defense, Medical, Industrial Automation and Transportation markets. More information is available at www.primus-tech.com/ or by calling Chris Sullivan at (570) 321-6281.
Primus receiving the Governor’s Job Creation Award in Hershey Pennsylvania
Pictured Left to Right are Stephen Stone (Primus President), Erica Mulberger (Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corporation Executive Director), Chris Sullivan (Primus Chairperson and CEO), Susie Snelick (Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association Chairwoman), Sam Shea (Primus Director of Human Resources), Jill Walter (PA CareerLink® Lycoming County Administrator), and Elaine Kerr (PA CareerLink® Lycoming County Employer Services Representative)
Click here for a PDF version of the press release.
Notice of 2015 Annual Meeting of Members
Notice is hereby given to the Commissioners of the Counties of Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as the Members of the Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corporation (“CPWDC”).
The Annual Meeting of Members of Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corporation will be held at the Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development office located at 130 Kelly Square, Suite 1, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania on June 22, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. Members will be asked to vote upon (1) the election of twenty-four (24) directors for three-year terms, and (2) the ratification of the appointment of an independent auditor for CPWDC for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015.
Dated: June 8, 2015
Click here for a PDF version of this notice.
WDB Member Testifies to Congress about ShaleNET®
Tracy Brundage, Pennsylvania College of Technology Vice President for Workforce Development, testified in Washington D.C. at a Congressional hearing related to the energy workforce. Dr. Brundage appeared before the House Sub-Committee on Energy and Power tasked with examining legislative language to create a 21st Century energy and manufacturing workforce.
Dr. Brundage talked about ShaleNET®’s success with its training model and mentioned its partnerships with various entities, including Workforce Development Boards and One-Stops (PA CareerLink®).
Penn College and the ShaleNET® team is proud of its work as a “best-practice model”, utilizing the short-term FIT4 training model developed by CPWDC, and honored that Dr. Brundage represented ShaleNET® at the U.S. House of Representatives Sub-Committee on Energy and Power.
Click here to view the news article posted by PCT.
If you have any questions about the ShaleNET® program, contact your local PA CareerLink® to learn more.
