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Causes: Arts & Culture, Economic Development, Research Institutes & Public Policy Analysis
Mission: Partner4work meets the needs of businesses and job seekers by annually connecting more than 6,000 employers with talent; training and placing more than 20,000 job seekers; and exposing 1,000 youth to career opportunities. We lead the development, integration and implementation of a world-class workforce development system for pittsburgh and allegheny county
Programs: Leading the public workforce system:established by the workforce investment act of 1998, reauthorized by the workforce innovation and opportunity act, and nationally recognized for innovation, 3rwib delivers a menu of workforce solutions for pittsburgh and allegheny county to ensure the current and future needs of businesses and job seekers are met. The cornerstone of the legislation and at the core of our work is the establishment of a one-stop service system, locally branded as pa careerlink pittsburgh/allegheny county. This one-stop focuses on getting people back to work while helping businesses grow. With more than 20,000 job seekers using services annually, careerlink staff members support adult job seekers through the job search process, including coaching and counseling, job matching and providing access to a database of over 200,000 posted jobs. Careerlink staff also can connect qualified job seekers to free training at community colleges or other high-quality institutions. In addition, regional businesses can access a menu of free services. Services to businesses include funding to train new and existing workers; access to a pool of pre-screened, motivated and diverse talent; space for career fairs and interviews; layoff aversion; customized labor market data; and other resources. Through this work, we connect 13,000 people to employment and serve over 1,100 companies annually. Youth workforce related policy is a pivotal component of wioa and investing in the future talent pipeline is a key area of focus for us. It's critical that our youth are exposed to the range of available careers and find their passion. Through its youth advisory committee, trwib prepares youth with the skills to develop a world class workforce pipeline for the region. We fund as many as 20 community programs annually through $3 to $4 million in federal funding that helps launch our youth to careers. Through a mix of mentoring and training services, these programs help youth earn geds, pay them for work, provide them occupational skill training, in additional to other life skills such as leadership and communications skills.
innovative initiatives:learn and earn - learn and earn is a $4. 5 million summer youth employment program delivered in conjunction with the city of pittsburgh and allegheny county. It aims to set young people on the path to a successful future through a 6-week, paid summer employment program. Young people spend at least 20 hours per week at a worksite and also receive professional development coaching in soft skills. This program is open to young people who are between the ages of 14 and 21 and who meet income and residency requirements. Young people work at sites across the county in corporations, nonprofits, and community-based organizations. To date, almost 4,000 young people have worked at more than 400 worksites and returned more than $3 million in wages to the local economy. Choice neighborhoods initiative - the choice neighborhoods initiative (cni) seeks to revitalize struggling neighborhoods in a comprehensive way through three primary areas of focus: housing, people, and neighborhoods. This national initiative is designed to be locally-driven, with the needs of each community being the measuring stick for success. In pittsburgh, cni currently takes place in two public housing properties, east liberty gardens and hamilton larimer. We contract with united labor agency to offer onsite careerlink services that provide intensive workforce services to the families in these communities. As a result of these efforts, neighborhood residents have found full-timeemployment, and several teens received paid work experience through the summer learn and earn program. Cni continues until 2020.
pittsburgh works:pittsburgh works continues to be a cornerstone of our efforts to connect job seekers and businesses. Since 2012, pittsburgh works has united more than 80 workforce development organizations and developed a common platform to assess and path job seekers into jobs. Pittsburgh works has made an overall investment in pittsburgh'sregional workforce of more than $1. 3 million. As a result, pittsburgh works-related programs have served more than 900 employers, trained 422 job seekers, developed seven short-term employer-led training programs, and helped more than a thousand job seekers find quality jobs. Pittsburgh works has also initiated a quarterly series called employer talks! , an innovative forum for communicating with the business community on recruiting needs, best practices, and new ideas. In 2015-2016, pittsburgh works established the amplify professional development series for workforce development professionals. Through this series, we arm frontline staff with the skills and tools they need to effectively serve the region's job seekers. Pittsburgh works streamlines and synchronizes the region's workforce and human services agencies to efficiently and effectively address the diverse needs of businesses, job seekers, funders, and other stakeholders. Quick train for jobs, a key piece of pittsburgh works, bridges the gap between people looking to work and companies looking to hire. Quick train provides the funding for short-term customized training programs to arm motivated job seekers with the skills for in-demand jobs in healthcare, manufacturing, finance, construction or the trades,information technology, transportation and logistics, and energy. At the same time, companies, or a group of companies, can groom specific candidates with the skills needed to fill positions. Quick train projects are nimble to meet the needs of companies and to keep up with trends in the regional economy. A six-week time frame is typical of quick train offerings, with pittsburgh works partners providing the trainees and often delivering curriculum assistance and instructors.