Workforce Development is a high priority for business competitiveness. Business leaders throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania now have a unique opportunity to influence the direction of our regional workforce programs through our Jobs1st initiative.
Jobs1st Overview:
The Northeastern Pennsylvania PREP partners and regional Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs), have received a Jobs1st grant from the PA Department of Labor and Industry. These funds will allow employers and WIBs to better coordinate workforce recruitment, training programs, and economic development at a regional level. This increased coordination between two regional networks that represent job seekers and job creators is the mechanism by which employee recruitment efforts can be met and training programs can be developed to meet employer-demand.
This project has four components:
- Survey of employers to catalog hiring needs by sector (i.e. the demand side), including but not limited to 6 strategic business sectors
- Survey of training providers (secondary, postsecondary, and adult) to understand the supply side
- Analysis of the strengths and gaps in the pipeline between the two
- Presentation and discussion of results through regional forums
Focus Group:
As part of the Jobs 1st initiative, NC3T the project consultant, will be gathering data on employer needs and their impressions of the local workforce, as well as information on the focus and capacity of youth/adult training providers; this will culminate in an analysis and community plan that will be presented to stakeholders in the spring. Data is critical, but it isn’t sufficient. We need to hear from representatives in these strategic sectors directly for context and a greater sense of the past and future. NC3T will be leading the Focus Groups asking for your thoughts on the following:
- Historical successes and shortfalls in workforce alignment
- More detail on current impressions of the workforce and local providers
- Current strategies for addressing shortages
- What they’ve seen work elsewhere in their industry
- Where you see their industry going in the future, and how workforce system must support them
Focus Group sessions will held on Tuesday, March 3, 2015. Sessions will last one hour and will take place via teleconference.
- Logistics and Transportation – 9 am, 1 hour
- Healthcare/Bioscience – 11 am, 1 hour
- Building/Construction – 2 pm, 1 hour
To register for one of the Focus Group, contact Paula Terpak at 570-655-5581 or pterpak@nepa-alliance.org by Friday, February 27th. A call in number will be provided to those who register prior to the sessions.
