State, local funds for worker training add up to $6.8M - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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million for work force training and industry partnerships inthe five-county region Wednesday. When combined with locapl matching funds, the total investmentr in the region will benearly $6.8 million, of whic the will oversee $660,000 in Statewide, $13.3 million will be provided for work force traininbg in key industries and $4.3 million will be used to establisn industry partnerships, in which employees and employee representative s from key industries work together to improves their collective position in the When combined with private sector the total investment amounts to $36. million, Gov. Ed Rendell said Wednesday.
The industryy partnership and training grants are partof Pennsylvania's $20 milliojn Job Ready PA initiative includeds in the state's 2007-08 budget. some existing partnerships received reducex fundingthis year, but funding was also made availabld for some new partnerships, PWIB CEO Sallie Glickma said. "Most of the dollars are focused on peopls in the work the idea of theser grants is to look at where the work forc eis going," Glickman said.
A $150,009 hospitality worker training grant anda $75,009 hospitality industry partnership grant, which will be overseen by the organizede labor group UNITE HERE, will be used to advance the skillsd of entry-level workers at three area hotels. The effort by the Crownw Plaza Hotel Philadelphia Center Sheraton Philadelphia City Center and theRadisson Plaza-Warwiclk Hotel Philadelphia to give workers skills to climb the caree r ladder in their organizations is a modelo to watch, Glickman said.
"One of the things that is great and important about the hospitality industryis there's a real low threshol of entry-level requirements, those firstg line jobs are on-the-job training or don't requird a lot of training," Glickman said. "These dollars will facilitatwe and augment the investment they are alread y willing to make inthese workers." Pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical skills training will be the focusz of a $85,000 healt h care/life science industry partnership grant, which will be overseen by the Life Sciencee Career Alliance.
Additionally, a $200,000 biomedical industrgy training grant was awarded to an industrgy partnership of3E Institute, A Respected Absorption Systems, , Aerotek Scientific and A $150,000 grant was also awardes to the Regional Advanced Manufacturing Industry which will be put toward better understanding the needs of the manufacturing industryt and dispelling misconceptions about the industry. "People have a perceptionj of those jobs that is kind of what a work forcse would look like in the such as anassembly line," Glickman said.
"The realit though is in today's manufacturing there are very high-tech engineers that go to work in suit s and ties and require veryhigh skills. Part of it is peopler understanding that and making the education choices that woulds allow them to move intothose well-paid jobs." In addition, Glickman said a traininv grant to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local in partnership with the Andrew J. Gress Graphic Arts was extendexd through the end ofthis year. Work is also unded way by the and PWIB to develo p an action plan to address employer needes in theutility industry.
Statewide, therd are 86 active industry partnershipsinvolving 5,9090 companies and more than 34,300 employees have received advanced skills training.