Workforce Connections
Your monthly digest of resources, events, and all things Workforce Development in Lancaster County
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Never miss an opportunity to apply for funding through the Lancaster County Workforce Development Board! Requests for Proposals are posted on our website.
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LCWDB wants to Engage with You in 2023! |
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Video: What is a Workforce Development Board? produced by National Association of Workforce Boards |
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Ways to partner with Lancaster County Workforce Development Board |
You may have heard the term "workforce ecosystem". An ecosystem is described as a "complex network" or "interconnected system". In workforce, the key players of an ecosystem include Business, Workforce Development Boards, Labor, Economic Development, Education, Local Government, and Community Partners. Our role as your local workforce board is to identify the needs of the job market, oversee PA CareerLink® of Lancaster County, and coordinate and align workforce initiatives in our area.
There are many ways to engage with LCWDB, including industry specific partnerships, Career Ready Lancaster!, being a recipient of workforce funding, receiving services at PA CareerLink® and various volunteer opportunities such as mentorship, committee involvement, and focus groups. We would love to hear from you in 2023!
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Board of Director Updates |
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Lancaster County Workforce Development Board welcomes five new Board of Directors members and announces officers.
Under the direction of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, board members are selected by the Chief Elected Officials (County Commissioners) in the local area. Consistent with regulation, the majority of members must be from Business, while other members include those of adult education, higher education, economic development, workforce, and others.
Jodi Pace, HR Manager at Advanced Food Products, LLC in New Holland has been named Board Chair. Angela Sanders, Principal at Post & Shell, P.C. has been named Vice Chair, and John Biemiller, Assistant Director at the Economic Development Company of Lancaster County has been named Secretary/Treasurer. View all of the board members here. |
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Erin Treese, Regional Vice President, Members 1st Federal Credit Union |
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Kurt Stillwagon, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition, Wellspan |
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Michael Berk, Executive Vice President, Lancaster County Association of Realtors |
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Rhonda Kurtz, Human Resources Manager, CNHi |
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Thomas Neely (pictured left)
CEO, Thomas E. Strauss, Inc.
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Future View of Workforce Pipeline |
LCWDB Executive Director Anna Ramos contributed an editorial in the December issue of Thriving Magazine, a publication produced by the Lancaster Chamber.
Anna emphasizes the critical need to adapt to technology and upskilling and reskilling of our workforce to ensure a competitive labor market.
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LCWDB secures $664,900 for Workforce Programs |
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The Lancaster County Workforce Development Board, in partnership with Career Ready Lancaster! has secured funding to increase career awareness, expand career pathways for business, and build more Registered Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship opportunities for local business and jobseekers. |
Images below of JA Inspire Virtual |
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Project highlights include:
- 5 local organizations will be awarded grants of up to $25,000 each to provide out-of-school time career awareness. Announcements coming soon!
- Funds to support the Career Ready Lancaster! partnership's goals of increasing awareness of career pathways in Lancaster, a campaign called "That's So Cool" that showcases cool things made in Lancaster, and development of Project-Based Learning initiatives with K-12
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Regional support of Junior Achievement's Inspire. This virtual environment connects middle and high school students with local business and serves as a "job fair" for jobseekers in South Central PA. There is no cost to students or jobseekers. Schools and Employers are encouraged to learn more about how they can access JA Inspire Virtual
- Expanding Career Pathways for Business - building on the successful "Mentoring for Front-Line Supervisors", this project will offer more free training for local employers, as well as add sessions for HR professionals on how to identify and articulate career pathways within their organization. Register Now:
- Lancaster Builds Apprenticeships will work with local schools and business to register a Software Developer apprenticeship and a Medical Assistant Pre-Apprenticeship, as well as assist LCWDB in developing a long-term apprenticeship strategy
- Completing a risk assessment and implementing safety improvements for PA CareerLink® Lancaster County staff and customers
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Lancaster County Rapid Response Team Quickly Takes Action to Assist LSC Workers |
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RR Team will meet with employees on all shifts, provide support, resources, job placement assistance, and upskilling training |
Lancaster County's Rapid Response team which consists of PA Department of Labor and Industry, Lancaster County Workforce Development Board, PA CareerLink ® Lancaster County, PA Unemployment Compensation Office and supporting community partners, reacted swiftly to hold a fact-finding meeting with LSC officials. During that meeting they reviewed the occupations and tenure of it's existing workforce, and identified special challenges they may face while transitioning. These include lack of computer skills and email addresses for some, need for updated resumes, job search assistance, and retraining.
Meetings onsite are already scheduled with employees and targeted job fair planning is being coordinated in partnership with the Lancaster Chamber
Thank you to the Rapid Response team for your quick response!
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PA CareerLink® Lancaster County |
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Your One-Stop Shop for Employment and Training Services |
PA CareerLink® Lancaster County is a proud partner of the American Job Center network, one of over 2,400 centers in the United States that provide free help to job seekers and employers for a variety of career and employment-related needs.
Many partners make up the PA CareerLink® including PA Department of Labor and Industry, Adult Education, Career and Technical Post-Secondary Education, Job Corps, Senior Community Service Employment Program, Vocational Rehabilitation, National Farmworker Programs, Native American programs, Unemployment, Veterans, and more!
PA CareerLink ® Lancaster County is located at 1046 Manheim Pike, Lancaster and operates Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm. Many services are available virtually via their website www.jobs4lancaster.com
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Matthew Carey serves as the One-Stop Operator for the PA CareerLink ®. Connect with Matt here!
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TRANSFORM PROJECT MAKES IMPACT IN LANCASTER COUNTY PRISON |
TRANSFORM is the name of a pilot project that is the result of a $1,499,000 grant received by the Lancaster County Workforce Development Board in 2021. Under the U.S. Department of Labor, Reentry Employment Services, Pathway Home grants support expanded services to eligible, incarcerated individuals in state correctional facilities or local jails prior- and post-release to help eliminate the gap between release and enrollment into a reentry program leading to employment.
Jenna Megalizzi, employed by Lancaster-Lebanon IU13 serves at the Project Facilitator, provided this update on the progress of the project.
"Transform recently entered its second year and thus far we have served 116 participants. 96 participants have been released, 53 are working and 1 has started training. Lancaster County Prison granted approval to use Chromebooks in the prison classroom which has opened up more career preparation opportunities. It has also allowed participants getting their GED to work on their specific areas of need at their own pace. Transform participants use the Chromebooks to complete Metrix Learning focused on their specific career interests prior to release. Most recently we purchased two Transfer Virtual Reality sets that participants can use for “hands-on” job training while in the prison! All of these exciting new opportunities help participants feel more prepared and confident in entering the job market once they are released. The program is currently celebrating the first participant to complete a training-CDL and earn his Class A license!"
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The LCWDB is advancing places2040 by connecting people with opportunity. For Anna, that means bringing together workers, educators, and employers: “We want to keep our residents here in Lancaster and grow our skilled workforce. Employers have a part in learning how they can attract workers and provide apprenticeship opportunities and on-the-job training as viable career pathways. But we also have a sense of urgency to help people navigate their path more easily – which includes supporting education that leads to tangible career opportunities.” |
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NuPaths is hosting a Cybersecurity Awareness Day on January 26th and is currently seeking speakers and employers who can talk about the need for and importance of Cybersecurity and is also currently registering schools to attend the event. Lancaster schools can sign up here: http://www.npignited.org/CAD
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Quality Buildings, LLC receives upskilling funds |
Congratulations to our newest recipient of upskilling funds under our Incumbent Worker Training grants, Quality Buildings, LLC.
Learn how your company can take advantage of upskilling and apply today!
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The Lancaster County Workforce Development Board is your premier source for Labor Market Information (LMI).
Accurate, objective, relevant, timely, and accessible workforce and labor market information is critical for:
• Building a skilled workforce that spurs business competitiveness and economic growth;
• Strengthening career pathways and guiding skill attainment for good jobs, economic opportunity, and career growth;
• Understanding the rapidly changing nature of work and how it impacts the workforce and U.S. and local economies; and
• Spending workforce training and education funds effectively.
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Explore Future Skills with Edge Factor |
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Edge Factor is a multi-media platform to help students, parents, jobseekers and businesses explore careers through engaging videos, movies, and virtual field trips. Edge Factor is provided free to the community courtesy of Lancaster County Workforce Development Board. Visit Lancaster Has the Edge
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Executive Director Update
A note from the desk of Anna Ramos
Reflections of the year passed and outlook for the future
There is much to be gained from reflecting on the past, learning on how to be better, and celebrating milestones and success. As an organization, the Lancaster County Workforce Development Board has remained steady and focused on being the connector of business, education and community partners. LCWDB has done this through the continued support of Career Ready Lancaster!, in helping create an environment where business and education can find common language, identify needs, and collaborate on solutions. Check out the Career Ready Lancaster! website to see the upgrades and resources, such as the work-based learning section.
Additional recent accomplishments of the LCWDB include:
- Implementation of an online grant management system that allows us to issue and accept Request for Proposal to distribute workforce funding and diversify our vendors
- Continued focus on how we can support the business community with upskilling and on-the-job training funding
- Recipient of $183,000 grant to grow Registered Apprenticeships within Lancaster County.
- Awards of additional grants to support business, education and partners with career exploration activities, mentoring training, and project-based learning opportunities
Looking forward, we are ready to grow our engagement with our Board Members. In the past year, we have onboarded seven new board members with backgrounds in Adult Education, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Real Estate and Hospitality. We also thank and appreciate our Board Members whose terms expired and were not renewed, as their efforts and commitment to our organization were monumental. In the upcoming year, we will also look at ways to support our business community around apprenticeship awareness, and look to grow apprenticeships in new fields like medical and IT.
Engagement is key to continued relevance. The LCWDB looks to create more opportunities for engagement, with not only our Board Members, but with our community partners. Stay tuned for areas of engagement and ways you can contribute to the work we are doing. The connector role the LCWDB plays is crucial to creating the workforce ecosystem we need to address and answer the workforce challenges Lancaster County is facing.
For 2023, the LCWDB is already looking forward, and excited for the growth of our organization and impact to the community.
Anna
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Lancaster County Workforce Development Board | www.lancastercountywib.com
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Equal Opportunity Employer/Program.
Auxiliary aids and services available to those with disabilities upon request.
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