New Funding Awarded to Boost Student Interest in PA’s Manufacturing Industry, Develop Talent Pipeline for Manufacturers (August 17, 2022)

Governor Tom Wolf has announced new funding for Advance Central PA, through Pennsylvania’s Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Program (MTTC), to create awareness for students about the commonwealth’s manufacturing industry and the local Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs that are available to help prepare them for these good-paying careers.

Advance Central PA plans to use their $80,058 in MTTC funding towards the production of five professional videos highlighting local careers in manufacturing and the local CTE programs that prepare students for entry into pathways for rewarding, stable, and sustaining careers with manufacturers; an advanced marketing campaign showcasing the innovation of CTE and pathways they open to careers in manufacturing; and educator in manufacturing events where guidance counselors and other educators will see their local CTE space before touring local manufacturers to learn first-hand how CTE prepares students for the extensive career opportunities available in the manufacturing sector.

The videos will be shown to an estimated 5,000 students across partner school districts in Clinton, Lycoming, and Union counties, and will also be featured on Advance Central PA’s YouTube channel. As part of the marketing campaign, print materials will be developed and prominently displayed in partner schools.

Advance Central PA oversees programs that are designed to assure that businesses in Central Pennsylvania remain competitive and grow jobs, that workers have opportunities to obtain skills that will help them become or remain self-sufficient, and that Pennsylvania’s communities are economically resilient. Advance Central PA’s nine-county Workforce Development Area (WDA) covers a total of 5,370 square miles and includes Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union counties.

Governor Wolf’s Manufacturing PA initiative was launched in October 2017 and since then has funded 81 projects and invested more than $17.2 million through the MTTC program.

Training-to-Career grants support projects that result in short-term work-readiness, job placement, or the advancement of manufacturing. The Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant program works collaboratively with local manufacturers to identify and teach missing essential skills for entry-level applicants seeking manufacturing employment, engage youth or those with barriers to career opportunities in manufacturing, and or advance capacity for local or regional manufacturers.

For more information, visit the DCED website

To view the press release, click here.

Governor Tom Wolf has announced new funding for The Challenge Program, Inc., through Pennsylvania’s Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Program (MTTC), to help more than 15,000 students learn firsthand about career opportunities in the manufacturing industry in southwestern Pennsylvania.

The Challenge Program plans to use their $200,000 in MTTC funding to increase manufacturing awareness activities and implement ‘Students in the Workplace’ among the organization’s manufacturing and school partnerships. Through this program, more than 15,000 students in grades 10 through 12 will be introduced to the breadth of manufacturing opportunities including specific types of positions available in the field and the training and educational pathways needed to enter these careers.

“The ‘Students in the Workplace’ model has allowed The Challenge Program, Inc. to facilitate life changing programs for students, educators, and manufacturers in Pennsylvania communities,” said Barbara Grandinetti, president of The Challenge Program. “Connecting students with jobs, helping businesses find their future skilled workforce, and assisting educators with career and work readiness has resulted in students’ lives being significantly changed for the better and strengthened communities.”

The Challenge Program’s mission is to motivate high school students to develop the habits required to succeed in school and in their careers by building business/education partnerships. The organization has been connecting students to the workforce since 2003.

Governor Wolf’s Manufacturing PA initiative was launched in October 2017 and since then has funded 80 projects and invested more than $17.1 million through the MTTC program.

Training-to-Career grants support projects that result in short-term work-readiness, job placement, or the advancement of manufacturing. The Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant program works collaboratively with local manufacturers to identify and teach missing essential skills for entry-level applicants seeking manufacturing employment, engage youth or those with barriers to career opportunities in manufacturing, and or advance capacity for local or regional manufacturers.

For more information, visit the DCED website.

To view the press release, click here.

On August 11, 2022, James L. Towse, PDE Basic Education Associate 2, sent an email to school superintendents announcing the release of the Ready to Learn Block Grant (RTL) Grant application. He states that the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has released the 2022-23 Ready to Learn (RTL) application in eGrants and that school districts and eligible charter schools and cyber charter schools may apply. The submission deadline is November 30, 2022.
The 2022-23 RTL Block Grant appropriation is $295 million. Act 55 of 2022 stipulates school entities receive the amount they received in 2021-22. RTL grants assist students enrolled in the commonwealth’s school districts and charter schools with attaining or maintaining academic performance targets. The purpose of this email is to inform eligible school entities how to apply for RTL funding.
School entities should file an application on PDE’s eGrants system for RTL funding. The application is accessible under Teaching and Learning Support with the heading Ready to Learn in Grants Management/Grant Applications.
The 2022-23 RTL Grant Guidelines are posted online at: http://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/School%20Finances/Pages/Ready-to-Learn%20Block%20Grant.aspx.