September/October Edition

Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association's conference dedicated to apprenticeships, during National Apprenticeship Week. Staff from LCWDB will be attending, so we'll see you there!

Click here to learn more and register!

Where we've been!

It's been a busy couple of months for us here at LCWDB! If you follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn, you've certainly seen all our photos of us being out and about these past couple of months. We've been all around both the county and the state learning and engaging with other workforce professionals. Our first all-team conference took us up to State College to learn about what our peers at other Workforce Development Boards across the state have been working on. From there, you might have seen our Youth Coordinator, Mary Byrd, participate in Junior Achievement of South Central PA's career day at Centerville Middle School. There, she was able to help explain the importance of career pathways to the students, and answer any questions they might have about finding a future career. Even with winter on the horizon, we're not slowing down attending conferences! Come see us at the Apprenticeship PA conference in Hershey to learn more about the future of youth apprenticeships in our state.

October is National Workers with Disabilities Month

While October is wrapping up, it's still important to remember National Workers with Disabilities Month! In Lancaster County, 28,497 people live with a disability that affects their day-to-day life. Out of those people, a little over 14,000 are active in the workforce within Lancaster County. Just like able-bodied people, people with disabilities want to be apart of our local workforce, but oftentimes find barriers with either gaining employment, or keeping employment. Barriers can include ramps that aren't compliant with ADA standards, lack of areas to rest, usage of outdated technology that may lack screen readers, magnifying capabilities, etc, and much more.

To learn more about how to make your workplace more accessible, check out the Job Accommodation Network (JAN)! Funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, JAN contains a multitude of resource on disabilities in the workplace. Their A to Z library contains a list of both physical and mental disabilities, and ideas for accommodations based on each disability. Click here to check it out today!

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990 to expand upon the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. A major concern when drafting the ADA was the ability to access jobs, and to make workplaces more accessible for everyone. Almost every organization is covered by ADA with very few exceptions, so it's important for you to understand ADA and how it affects you and your workplace! Through the ADA, employers are required to make reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities in order to better accommodate them. Accommodations can come in a variety of styles, from a change in schedule to assistive devices. To learn more about the ADA in workplaces, click here!