Originally posted on August 11 by Pittsburghpa.gov
The City of Pittsburgh Sits Down with White House Delegation for a Roundtable Discussion on the City’s Designation as a Workforce Hub
PITTSBURGH — Today, Senior Advisor to the President and Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu met with officials and leaders from the City of Pittsburgh to further advance the region’s work as a Workforce Hub. Joined by labor leaders and community partners, Senior Advisor Landrieu and roundtable participants discussed the need for increasing equitable career opportunities for underserved populations including, youth and young adults; returning citizens; residents of extreme and high-need neighborhoods as designated by the Allegheny County Community Needs Index; and single-parent household can no longer be ignored.
The Pittsburgh Workforce Hub Initiative is designed to assist those already identified as priority populations to connect them to good-paying jobs created by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the American Rescue Plan, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. As one of five focus regions across the nation, Pittsburgh is creating models for targeted workforce development that the Administration will work to replicate with partners across the country. The Workforce Hub Initiative builds engagement with a wide range of stakeholders to strengthen and promote equitable career pathway opportunities in a variety of sectors.
Today’s Pittsburgh Workforce Hub roundtable convened leaders around sectors with key employment opportunities, such as construction and transportation, who can help close gender and racial wage gaps. In addition, this convening includes education leaders who can provide the necessary skills to get underrepresented groups into apprenticeship programs and eventually union jobs.
Pittsburgh’s Workforce Hub Initiative is led through a partnership between the White House Domestic Policy Council, Mayor Ed Gainey, the Department of Labor, and Partner4Work, which serves as the anchor institution to sustain and lead the long-term work of the Pittsburgh Workforce Hub.
This initiative is grounded in the Biden-Harris Administration’s belief that every American should have access to good job opportunities, many of which do not require a four-year degree. The Administration is ensuring that workers and families are able to tap into the job opportunities themselves, and equitably access the training and skills needed to fill those jobs.
Through collaboration with workforce development partners, including industry associations, unions, community-based organizations, education institutions, training providers, and local and state agencies, the Pittsburgh Workforce Hub will work to meet five goals:
- Build and scale meaningful, accessible pathways into union skilled trades for workers of color, women, and residents of priority communities, as well as create a strong pipeline of skilled candidates for these roles.
- Ensure that Federal investments in infrastructure create good jobs for job seekers in the Pittsburgh region.
- Grow the availability and inclusivity of Registered Apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and other earn-and-learn programs in key fields.
- Align stakeholder efforts in advanced manufacturing and create a strong pipeline of skilled workers.
- Ensure that advanced manufacturing and infrastructure employers implement the Department of Labor’s Good Jobs Principles.
Senior Advisor Mitch Landrieu’s visit to Pittsburgh follows last month’s trip by First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden to Pittsburgh International Airport, the site of over $45 million in modernization investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The First Lady uplifted high-quality training programs that are providing opportunities for workers from underserved communities to participate in good union construction jobs. Today’s roundtable participants included:
- Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor to the President and White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator
- Felicity Williams, Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Ed Gainey
- Rob Cherry, CEO of Partner4Work, Pittsburgh’s anchor institution for the Workforce Hub
- Rich Barcaskey, Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania
- Dr. Quintin Bullock, Community College of Allegheny County
- Carlos Carter, President and CEO of Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh
- Inez Colon, Pittsburgh Regional Transit
- Juan Garrett, Riverside Center for Innovation
- Darrin Kelly, local AFL-CIO President
- Angela Mike, Pittsburgh Public Schools CTE
- Will Pickering, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority
- Michael Phiri, PIT2Work graduate
- Julie Motley-Williams, ALCOSAN
- Dewitt Walton, A. Phillip Randolph Institute
- Lloyd Wilson, Housing Authority City of Pittsburgh
- Steve Mazza, Carpenters Union