As grantmakers, the Northwest PA WIB and RCWE invest workforce development funds in projects that have the potential to drive the competitiveness of the region’s workforce and continually strengthen our region’s industries and their workers. Open grant opportunities are posted on the Requests for Proposals page. To learn more about recent grants awarded by the Northwest WIB and RCWE, download our Annual Report. 

Grant Awards

The Northwest PA WIB and RCWE partner with a diversity of organizations to apply for grant funding to support innovative pilots, proven programs, and critical, in-demand needs identified in the region. Descriptions of recent grant funded projects follow below.

Adult Basic Education and Literacy (ABLE): Machining Career Pathways

Grantor: Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry

Amount: $150,000

Employers in Northwest Pennsylvania and across the State have consistently reported a great need for their workers and new hires to strengthen their adult basic literacy skills. This project will address those critical training needs through a new partnership between the region’s Adult Basic Literacy and Education providers (ABLE) and the five PA CareerLinks® in the Northwest Workforce Investment Area. Working with experienced educators, case managers, and employers of the Advanced Diversified Manufacturing Industry Partnership, ABLE providers will adapt curriculum for skills most in-demand in the industry for machining occupations.

Machining occupations are growing, and local employers have indicated that they will have positions opening over the next two years. Machining occupations also primarily pay family sustaining wages and have strong career lattices for advancement. Basic skills included in ABLE curriculums, even for entry level machining positions, are essential to an employee’s ability to perform effectively in a manufacturing environment. Incumbent workers, especially in entry-level positions, can significantly increase their retention or advancement by upgrading their basic skills. Over the next two years, this program will serve an estimated 200 individuals to further their ability to secure, retain, or advance in a machining-related job or to enter into higher-level training.

The unique aspect of the ABLE training to be conducted through this project is the contextualization of learning, along with an employer-driven curriculum. Working with the PA CareerLinks®, ABLE providers will conduct “on-demand” trainings that can be adapted for an individual based upon assessments, case management, and an employee’s needs. Participants may take only one class up to multiple classes. In addition to the ABLE training modules, some individuals in the program will also have the opportunity to work with an employer to enroll in customized training that is geared toward a machining-related occupation or skill. This project will also serve to connect more employers and individuals to PA CareerLink® services, as well as forge an even stronger relationship between the region’s ABLE providers and the workforce development system.

RoboBOTS: Pipeline Development for the Careers of Tomorrow

Grantor: Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry

Amount: $62,800

RoboBOTS is a highly successful, innovative education and training program that prepares youth for high-demand and emerging careers while meeting the employer-identified skill needs of the advanced manufacturing industry. The RoboBOTS curriculum unleashes the creative potential of mathematical reasoning, scientific analysis, and the clear articulation of ideas by engaging students in grades 7-12 in hands-on invention and teamwork that focuses on real world skills through the process of creating competitive robots. The program also allows students to connect directly with local manufacturing employers for exposure to career opportunities, provides professional development for educators, and generates a great deal of enthusiasm and education in the community—particularly for the annual regional competition.

Oracle ERP Training

Grantor: Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry

Amount: $200,000

The Regional Center for Workforce Excellence and the Penn State Behrend College in Erie are collaborating on an initiative in high-demand Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) training. This training and workforce development initiative will have far-reaching economic and competitiveness impacts.  Oracle Corporation currently has more than 30,000 application customers, including some of the country’s largest employers, with more than 3,500 application partners. Through this grant, dislocated workers will receive guidance on the training opportunity at the PA CareerLink® and through targeted marketing efforts of Penn State Erie’s Continuing Education office. Potential dislocated worker Oracle trainees will receive WorkKeys assessments at the PA CareerLink® to gauge their readiness for training, as well as be connected with any supportive services, referrals, and additional resources to help them succeed. Incumbent workers will be supported through services at the Penn State Erie Continuing Education Department, where staff will assist those enrolling in the training to complete an assessment to indicate their capacity for entering the training. In addition, scholarships will be provided to support individuals who enroll in the Oracle ERP training, which will be supplied by the PA CareerLink® and Regional Center for Workforce Excellence through this grant.

Regional Career Education Partnerships (RCEP)

Grantor: PA Department of Labor & Industry

Award: $65,000

The members of the Northwest PA Regional Career Education Partnership actively participate with regional Youth initiatives, including the Workforce of Tomorrow, the Regional STEM network, and WIA Youth programs. The Youth Network allows educators, Industry Partnerships, CareerLink® staff, training providers, and other partners to more effectively assess needs, share resources, and strategically plan and implement youth workforce programs. This allows the members of RCEP and the agencies in the network to act locally while thinking regionally.

One of RCEP’s most promising programs, the Industry Club, has worked diligently with regional industry experts and educators to provide real-world experiences and inform middle school students about the career opportunities available within the region’s high priority industry clusters, while integrating STEM and “green” energy and environmental concepts into the process.  The Career Counselors in the Schools program has also integrated STEM and “green” career focuses, and counselors are knowledgeable and connected to the region’s industry needs and assets in such careers through partnerships with the Industry Partnerships, RCEP, and the RCWE (who receives and relays guidance from the State as well as conducting regional analyses on needs and opportunities in STEM and “green” occupations and career pathways). As outlined below, RCEP plans to continue to integrate its planning and implementation alongside the goals of the Council of the Workforce of Tomorrow by 1) increasing work-based preparation through the Career Counselor program and Industry Clubs; 2) providing professional development through the annual RCEP event and Career Counselor in-service workshops; and 3) building options for disconnected youth by expanding the successful Youth in Transition focus group project.

Math Enrichment Program

Grantor: Crawford County Heritage Foundation

Amount: $892

In response to the need for increased math skills training, RCWE, PA CareerLink® Crawford County, Crawford County READ, and the Precision Manufacturing Institute (PMI) are collaborating on a math enrichment program. The program is a joint effort to address the gaps in jobseekers’ skills, get them back to work, and meet employer needs. Many of these jobseekers represent a population with limited income who require assistance to cover the costs of entering a training program. Many are also recently dislocated workers who can benefit by upgrading or refreshing their math skills during their unemployment. The partners involved in this program have worked to keep the cost of this class as minimal as possible for participants. By leveraging resources and through in-kind staff time, the math program would be free for participants, except for the need for textbooks, calculators, and other classroom materials, such as pencils and notebooks. With the support of the Crawford County Heritage Foundation, the one-time purchase of these classroom materials, which will continue to be used by students for multiple classes, allows the program to be sustainable and minimize costs for this basic skills training.

ANNUAL PROGRAMS

Work Certified™ Program

Grantor: Erie Community Foundation

Award: $25,000

Employers in the region have continually expressed the need for employees to have “soft skills” that are geared towards industry. A program and curriculum developed by employers and workforce investment boards, Work Certified™ “not only addresses basic and soft skills, but also prepares individuals to understand and fulfill their role in business. This behavioral modification, team-building program advances job seekers' self-esteem, which better enables them to find a job and keep a job.” Through a partnership between the Regional Center for Workforce Excellence, the PA CareerLink® Erie, the Greater Erie Community Action Committee, and St. Benedict Education Center, a pilot program has been launched that serves many individuals seeking employment and allows them to receive free training that results in a “work-readiness” certification that is beginning to be recognized by local employers. Through the Erie Community Foundation’s Human Services and Community Development grant opportunity, many of the participants who had faced significant barriers to employment and completed their certification are now either working or in training. Approximately 78 individuals have successfully completed the program as of April 2010.

 Ticket to Work

Grantor: AHEDD

Award(s): $12,000 (Erie County) + $12,000 (Warren, Forest, Venango, Clarion, and Crawford Counties)

The region’s PA CareerLinks®, the Greater Erie Community Action Committee, Partners for Performance, and the Northwest PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation worked together to provide outreach to individuals with disabilities with a grant made possible through AHEDD. The AHEDD program, “Ticket to Work,” provided funding to hold workshops and educational sessions that informed job seekers and unemployed individuals on the workforce incentive programs available through the Social Security Administration.

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Career Opportunity Grant: On-the-Job Training

Grantor: PA Department of Labor & Industry

Amount: $250,000

As a result of a Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry $250,000 grant for on-the-job training, more than 40 job seekers and workers recently had the opportunity to upgrade their occupational skills within the context of work environments. On-the-job training is a highly successful reemployment method, benefiting both employers and workers by providing matching funds for eligible participants in workplace training programs. The local PA CareerLinks® of the Oil Region (Venango/Forest Counties), Warren, Clarion, Erie, and Crawford counties in Northwest PA assisted participants and employers with assessments, enrollment, and case management throughout the program, and are reporting excellent results.

Average wage rates of those completing their training have been at about $20 per hour—a significant outcome of the program, particularly considering the very low per capita income and high poverty rates in the region. As a result of the grant, more than 40 workers are now either employed or had a chance to gain on-the-job experience to upgrade their skills to advance in their careers—keeping their companies competitive.

On-the-job training, of course, doesn’t only benefit employees, but also employers. At a time when the region is still experiencing layoffs and closures, programs like this one that directly involve employers to address their workforce needs helps those businesses remain competitive. In a January 2010 survey conducted by the PA Center for Workforce Information and Analysis / PA Department of Labor & Industry, more than 50 percent of employers responded that they would consider hiring or re-hiring if provided with matching funding for training workers.

The PA CareerLinks®, a nonprofit employment services system, have been offering on-the-job training programs for many years. Supported by the PA Dept. of Labor & Industry, Rapid Response and Workforce Investment Act funding can allow eligible adults and dislocated (unemployed) workers to access multiple types of training and services such as on-the-job training. This grant complemented the currently available training funding streams, and allowed many individuals who were ineligible under other programs to gain employment through this successful type of training.