News

The Northwest Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board elected their officers at the May 14, 2010 board meeting.

L to R: Vice Chair Dale McBrier, Chairman Kerry Schwab, Treasurer David Van Amburg and Secretary Bill Liddle.

Erie will host one of four free workshops being held the departments of General Services and Environmental Protection on May 24, 2010 to help veteran, minority- and women-owned small businesses to identify potential business opportunities under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
 
The workshop will be held:
Monday May 24, 2010
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Where: Gannon University Small Business Development Center 120 W 9th Street Erie, PA

Official Press Release.

Industry Club Expo 2010

 View pictures from the event by clicking above.

More than 250 students representing six counties in NWPA gathered at the Annual Industry Club Expo, held in conjunction with TECHFEST for the first time. Industry Club Expo is a culminating competition of the Industry Club Program in Northwest Pennsylvania, which was developed six years ago to give middle school students a chance to explore career opportunities within the various industry clusters located in Northwest Pennsylvania. The Industry Club Expo, hosted by the Regional Center for Workforce Excellence offers students from area schools participating in the program an opportunity to gather and give a presentation on an industry of interest they studied while participating in the program. Presentations ranged from the hospitality and tourism industry to law enforcement and were judged by members of the Northwest Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board and other educational and business professionals.

 

During TECHFEST, Industry Club students broke out for the opportunity to present their projects to a panel of judges. Between judging, the groups had the opportunity to join the rest of the students to explore the wonderful world of manufacturing during TECHFEST.

And the winners are...

 

 

1st Place -
Perseus House Charter School of Excellence Maritime Center

2nd Place -
East Forest School

3rd Place -
Oil City Industry Club

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Employment and Training Administration has published the "Workforce System Results" for the October 1 - December 31, 2009 period. Click here for the full report.

The individual chapters can also be accessed here:

• Quarterly Spotlight for Program Year 2008
• People Served by Program
• Current Appropriations
• Government Performance and Results Act Goals
• Disability Program Navigator Initiative
• Indian and Native American Adult Program
• National Farmworker Jobs Program
• Senior Community Service Employment Program
• Wagner-Peyser Employment Service
• Workforce Investment Act Adult Program
• Workforce Investment Act Dislocated Worker Program
• National Emergency Grants
• H-1B and Permanent Foreign Labor Certification (PERM)
• H-2A and H-2B Foreign Labor Certification
• Reintegration of Ex-Offenders
• Registered Apprenticeship
• Unemployment Insurance
• Workforce Investment Act Youth Program
• Workforce Investment Act Youthful Offender Initiative
• Indian and Native American Youth Program
• YouthBuild
• High Growth Job Training Initiative
• Community-Based Job Training Grants
• ETA Internet-Based Assistance
• Glossary of Performance Measures

HIRE Act passed in March includes two tax credits for employers:

 

The Payroll Tax Exemption allows employers to exempt the 6.2% social security tax on wages paid to qualifying employees, effective on wages paid from March 19, 2010 through December 31, 2010.  Employees must still pay social security tax, and both employers and employees must still pay Medicare tax.  Business and tax-exempt organizations are eligible for this exemption. 

 

The Payroll Tax Exemption is claimed by submitting IRS Form 941 with the employer’s federal tax return, beginning in the second quarter.  Employers may claim any employees who began employment on March 19, 2010 in the second quarter tax filing.

 

The New Hire Tax Credit provides employers with up to $1,000 for employing a qualified worker for at least 52 consecutive weeks, providing that the employee’s salary does not decrease significantly in the second half of the year.  The amount of the credit is the lesser of $1,000 or 6.2% of the employee’s wages.   The New Hire Tax Credit will be claimed on the employer’s 2011 federal tax return.

 

Who is a Qualifying Employee?  Qualifying employees are individuals who begin employment with a qualified employer after February 3, 2010, and before January 1, 2011, who have been unemployed or employed for less than 40 hours during the 60-day period ending on the date that employment begins, and who are not family members of or related in certain ways to the employer.

You may now access reports available on the recovery.org web site which are Pennsylvania's official quarterly reports to the federal government, mandated by Section 1512 of the Recovery Act. These reports on funds flowing through commonwealth agencies and departments, show information such as what organizations received funding, how much they received and for what purpose, and full-time equivalent jobs created or retained.The reports are organized by state agency, with the individual Recovery awards noted under each agency. The reports are continuously updated, and represent the most current information for the reporting period.

Please Note: Updates may occur throughout the reporting period. All data is posted and searchable on the federal Web site.

Media Advisory – For Planning Purposes Only

April 22, 2010

Labor & Industry Deputy Secretary to Visit Erie to Make Important Workforce Development Announcement

Harrisburg – Department of Labor & Industry Deputy Secretary Robert Garraty will make an important workforce development announcement at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, April 23, at the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership Rotunda, 208 East Bayfront Parkway, Suite 100, Erie.

 

Garraty will be joined by area legislators, local business leaders and employees.

Date/Time:

Friday, April 23 – 9:30 a.m.

Location:

Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership Rotunda

208 East Bayfront Parkway, Suite 100

Erie

Media contact: Christopher S. Manlove, 717-787-7530

 

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Please join ReTool Erie and special guests Stephanie Powers, Project Director, National Fund for Workforce Solutions and Phyllis Eisen, Co-Founder and Sr. Advisor of Business Champions, Inc. as they present:

Achieving a Competitive Workforce in Northwestern PA: Understanding the Essential Role of Nonprofits

 

Who should attend: Leaders from the nonprofit, business and economic development communities interested in strengthening workforce development efforts in the Erie region.

Agenda: This inaugural session of the ReTool Erie training series will provide an overview of the workforce development system and flow of resources, while defining the role of nonprofits and the importance of multi-sector partnerships.

Location: The Yehl Ballroom, Waldron Campus Center at Gannon University

Date/Time: May 4, 2010, 9AM – 2PM (lunch included)

 

 

 

 

Cost: There is no cost to attend this event.

 

 

 

To register please visit www.retoolerie.org. Space is limited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the Economic Policy Institute -

Unemployment does not equally affect all workers. Different segments of the population often have different rates of unemployment, whether the distiction is made by race, gender, education, or age. While the national unemployment rate has yet to meet the dismal 10.8% benchmark set in 1982, certain subgroups have, since the start of the recession in December 2007, reached post-War unemployment highs. One of these groups is workers age 16-24, whose unemployment rate peaked at 19.2%. Though young adults represent only 13.5% of the workforce, they now account for 26.4% of unemployed workers. This Briefing Paper will discuss the severity of the unemployment crisis facing young adults, its historical context, and the implications for their future wages and skills.

View complete report at: http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/bp258