Wheatley and Gainey host workforce development roundtable

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Date Published: 
Wednesday, July 22, 2015

State Reps. Jake Wheatley and Ed Gainey (both D-Allegheny)

PITTSBURGH, July 22 - State Reps. Jake Wheatley and Ed Gainey, both D-Allegheny, hosted a breakfast roundtable Monday focusing on workforce development with business leaders, workers and government officials at the Manchester Bidwell Corp.

The event provided beneficial information for both workers and industry as Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Secretary Kathy Manderino spoke about the state's workforce development efforts.

"We were thrilled to have Secretary Manderino at the roundtable," Wheatley said. "Workforce development is incredibly important to help expand our overall economy. Secretary Manderino made it clear that the administration is interested in improving our workforce, starting with properly educating children at a young age, so businesses have the most qualified workers available."

Manderino said Gov. Tom Wolf has made education and workforce development major emphases of his administration. She noted that part of his plan to create "Jobs that Pay" includes the creation of industry partnerships so clusters of businesses in complementary industries can convene and identify common needs for workforce skill sets and to develop training programs that meet those needs.

"As I speak with business owners across the state, one of the main issues troubling them is a lack of skilled workers," Manderino said. "To create a strong pipeline of talent, we need to consider the current and future needs of businesses in workforce development plans and programs."

Gainey said that after years of underfunding the state's education system, the time has come to properly invest in schools.

"Creating a quality workforce requires adequate funding for our schools," Gainey said. "Governor Wolf's 'Schools that Teach' budget proposal provides the funding that will allow our schools to help create a solid foundation for our future workers."

Wheatley and Gainey said talking with the secretary and business leaders has renewed their fight for additional education and workforce development funding in the state budget.

Source: Rep. Jake Wheatley, Rep. Edward C. Gainey.

http://www.pahouse.com/Wheatley/InTheNews/NewsRelease/?id=68473