Governor Tom Wolf announced new funding for the Agency for Community Empowerment of NEPA (ACE) through Pennsylvania’s Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Program (MTTC) to assist unemployed and underemployed individuals in Lackawanna County gain the skills, knowledge, and abilities to successfully attain employment in the manufacturing sector.
“My commitment to investing in the manufacturing industry across Pennsylvania is unwavering,” said Gov. Wolf. “Many training programs focus on only one aspect of employability, but this program from ACE is taking a whole-person approach towards preparing strong candidates to fill manufacturers’ needs. We will continue to boost this vital industry by supporting great programs like this one in northeast Pennsylvania.”
ACE plans to use their $200,000 in MTTC funding to provide recruitment, intake, and program delivery services to help under-skilled populations gain the competencies necessary to attain and sustain meaningful employment in the advanced manufacturing sector. Participants will be trained in manufacturing competencies as well as increasing work-ready, soft skills to create well-rounded, employable candidates that meet the needs of the industry in the region.
“Thanks to this funding, ACE will be able to help companies in our region to identify and train a skilled workforce,” said Jim Wansacz, Executive Director of ACE. “We are thankful to the Wolf Administration for this assistance and know this project will make an impact in our region.”
ACE is a private corporation authorized to administer funds received from federal, state, local, and private funding entities to assess, design, operate, finance, and oversee anti-poverty programs. ACE is intended to promote self-sufficiency and depends heavily on volunteer work, especially from the low-income community.
Governor Wolf’s Manufacturing PA initiative was launched in October 2017 and since then has funded 79 projects and invested more than $16.9 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 about the Wolf Administration’s commitment to manufacturing, visit the DCED website, and be sure to stay up-to-date with all of the agency’s news on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
