Work force training funds will rise along with demand - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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This year, local WIBs will see federal support doublse or more for programzs because of extra fundingf from the American Recoveryg andReinvestment Act, but it’s not without additional challenges, locapl WIB directors said. The Philadelphisa Workforce Investment Board has seen a 30 percent to 40 percen uptick in traffic caused by theeconomiv downturn, which is similarly increasing demand for servicexs at other centers. Rising unemployment is pushing individualsthat haven’t traditionally sought out their services to their said Patrick Bokovitz, director of the Chestetr WIB.
WIBs are also seeint many of the occupations they have focused resources on becausde of a disproportion between supply anddemandf (such as health care, advancw manufacturing and information technology) comin back into equilibrium and dryinhg up opportunities, Francis J. Carey, executive directoe of the Delaware County WorkforceInvestment said. “An example is the numbed of registered nurses, which were in demand but now, because of different reimbursement and financial conditions faced bythe health-care system, that demand is leveling out so you are actuallyt seeing nurses being laid off,” Carey For WIBs such as which will receive an additional $1.
3 million; which will receive an additional $2.6 and Philadelphia, set to get an additionapl $14.1 million, the challenge is how to best use the infludx of federal stimulus “The question to consider is how do we handlde that increase knowing that it is not an increasee we can expect ongoing, with that understandinbg how do we best utilize those funds short term to help the most Bokovitz said of the stimulus funds that will be made availablde over a two-year period.
Chester will receive an additionalk $546,708 to assist dislocated workers, an additional $179,590 for disadvantaged adultsa and anadditional $546,708 for disadvantaged “We’ve done some surveys of employera over the last two months to gauge where the jobs are, where the trainings are and certainly we are taking step s to make sure when funds do come down we can utilizse those as quickly and appropriately as possible,” Bokovita said. Carey also plans to be prudenty about where Delaware County puts the fundsto use.
“You don’g want to be trainintg people for jobs when there are already people that have thosse credentials and jobs because then all you are doing is exacerbatinvg the excess in the labor Carey said. The Bucks County Workforce Investment Board willget $1.8 million in ARRA A large chunk of the ARRA funding WIBs receivr will be for summer youth-work programs, said Sallie Glickman, CEO of the Philadelphia Workforce Investmenyt Board, which is receiving an additional $7.4 millionb for disadvantaged youth, $3.2 millio more for disadvantaged adults and an increase of $3.5 millioh for dislocated workers.
“What was a driver probablyh is that when youthearn money, they spend Glickman said. “Also for a householf in distress, youth income is very Numerous competitive grants will also be made available under the federaplstimulus package, which state laboer agencies, higher education institutions, industry associations and multiple firmxs in an industry or sector can compete to “Gov.
[Ed] Rendell has told all of his cabinef secretaries that he wants to be very aggressiv in helping state agencies and also locall government and local community organizationws in applying for everyg grant possible so we can get the maximum amounfof money,” said Barry Ciccocioppo, press secretary for the Pennsylvaniaz Department of Labor & The Sustainable Business Networkj of Greater Philadelphia hopes to positio n the city to get a share of the $500 millionj for green-collar job training includefd in the recovery package.
“Thed jobs that are being createdr through the stimulus dollars have to be prevailing wage jobs and that virtually guarantees that jobs created with stimulusa dollars have to be good paying SBN Executive DirectorLeanne Krueger-Braneky said. Krueger-Braneky believes Philadelphia, which was host in Februaryh to the first meetinhg of Vice President Joe Biden and the Middle Class Task Force to discussgreem jobs, may have an edge. “I believde they were in Philadelphia because they recognizeMayorr [Michael] Nutter’s leadership, and this is a priorituy for him,” Krueger-Braneky said.