CORE OBJECTIVE 1: ALIGN WORKFORCE, EDUCATION, EMPLOYERS, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IS A TOP FOCUS FOR LOCAL LEADERS

Advancing workforce development and training opportunities for county residents continues to be a top priority for local officials. Identified as a goal in the county’s comprehensive plan, Reimagining Our Westmoreland, aligning workforce, education, employers, and entrepreneurship will help the county retain workers and attract new ones to better sustain a healthy economy. In 2022, several steps were taken to expand workforce development opportunities and employment connections for students, recent graduates, and individuals looking to be retrained.

With a focus on removing barriers to those who are under and unemployed or are in employment transition, the Laurel Highlands Workforce & Opportunity Center (LHWOC) opened in Hempfield Township to provide high-quality medical assistant training for those looking to start a rewarding career in healthcare. Modeled after the Pittsburgh-based Bidwell Training Center, the nonprofit organization tailors its programs to meet the needs of local employers to help ensure graduates of LHWOC’s programs are job-ready.

Interested adults who have their high school diploma or GED that apply to LHWOC and pass the basic math and literacy assessments are accepted into the program and given a one-time full scholarship. The seven-month-long program aims to provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to pursue a hands-on career in the healthcare industry. Thanks to LHWOC’s industry connections, like Excela Health (now Independence Health System), those that want a job when they graduate can have one.

In addition to full scholarships, the center offers life and career services to students such as fully subsidized child care, transportation assistance, financial literacy and more. By offering wraparound services, students at LHWOC get a leg up to succeed not only in the program, but in life. To learn more about the LHWOC and its no-cost medical assistant training program, visit https://lhwoc.org/.

Giving students a leg up is also on the minds of Westmoreland County Commissioners. In 2022 Commissioners Sean Kertes, Doug Chew, and Gina Cerilli Thrasher allocated $949,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds to create the Westmoreland Workforce Development Plan to invest in the future of local students. Coordinated through the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland (EGCW), a private nonprofit economic development corporation that fosters economic growth and development, the plan will allocate funds to local school districts to help increase career guidance and internship opportunities for students with area employers.

Although there’s no magic bullet or easy solution to address the county’s workforce shortage, the Westmoreland Workforce Development Plan offers a productive approach to try. “The goal of the plan is to realign education and workforce needs,” said Jim Smith, President and CEO of EGCW. “We can’t stop the ‘brain drain’ or population decline in our region if education remains the same.”

Targeting three areas of focus, the plan outlines building potential career paths for students with classroom work; helping students land internships with local companies; and administering leadership training for school administrators. According to Smith, the plan stems from the efforts of the Westmoreland County Forum for Workforce Development, and is the culmination of work that has been going on at the school district and university levels, with local leaders and businesses, for the past several years.

“This plan is going to empower kids, giving them the career exploration tools they haven’t had access to in the past – we think this is going to be something transformational,” said Smith. He continued “The plan allows kids to get out there and have different experiences. The pathways will lead students through their course of study in an interactive way to show them what’s available regionally so they know what to expect when they graduate.”

As school districts participate in the plan, students can be better prepared for their future careers while companies get connected with local talent. To follow the progress of the Westmoreland Workforce Development Plan, check out the EGCW at https://egcw.org/.