Philadelphia Works was recently awarded a $4.7 million dollar Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) Grant to expand registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships across Southeastern Pennsylvania. In this episode, Rebecca Ambrose, Director of Training and Apprenticeship at Philadelphia Works, joins the program to discuss the details of the grant and provide an overview of the importance of apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships. You’ll hear about the various industries that are using the apprenticeship model and how the Apprenticeship PHL website is making apprenticeships more accessible to industries in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

This episode features a conversation with Patricia Blumenauer​, Vice President, Operations and Data, for Philadelphia Works, as she discusses the Good Jobs Challenge Grant, a 22.8 million dollar grant recently awarded to Philadelphia Works. Discover how the grant will fund a Coordinated Southeastern Pennsylvania Workforce Development System, and what that entails. You'll also hear about the intended impact of the grant and how to learn more.   

Anne Gemmel, Principal at A. Gemm Consulting joins the program to discuss the future of work. Discover the priority conversations that need to happen around the future of work and how the public and private sectors can work together to achieve positive outcomes. Anne also shares her insights about the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the future of work and shares recommendations for how organizations can prepare for upcoming challenges and opportunities.  

This episode features a conversation with Kataney Couamin, Director, Workforce Operations at Philadelphia Works, and Juliet Fink Yates, Digital Inclusion Manager for the City of Philadelphia, as they discuss the efforts that are being made to close the digital divide in Philadelphia. Discover the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on accelerating the need for digital access and equity, the future of onsite work in Philadelphia, and hear details about Philadelphia's new 5-year digital equity plan. 

This episode features a conversation with Andre Bradley, Youth System Program Representative for Philadelphia Works.  Andre discusses some of the most common challenges that youth face when looking for jobs, and the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on connecting youth to employment and training opportunities. Discover some of the investments that Philadelphia Works has made when it comes to training opportunities for youth as well as details about Philadelphia's WorkReady Summer Program. 

Samantha Castagna,​ Innovation and Resource Associate at Philadelphia Works, joins the program to discuss the importance of securing philanthropic support, and how securing that support will lead to additional programming and services for both job seekers and employers. Discover the process of locating funding sources and you'll also hear about the details about a three million dollar grant recently awarded to Philadelphia Works! Additional info: PhilaWorks was awarded $3,000,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) as a part of its ‘Comprehensive and Accessible Reemployment through Equitable Employment Recovery (CAREER) National Dislocated Worker Grants’ initiative. The cost of this initiative is 100 percent funded through federal money. Ways to give: Give directly by visiting www.philaworks.org/support-us Select “Philadelphia Works” as your charity of choice when shopping through smile.amazon.com Use donor number 12541 when giving through the United Way To connect about other ways to invest in Philadelphia Works, email [email protected]

Alyssa Tombler, Training Initiatives Program Representative at Philadelphia Works, joins the program to discuss the training programs supported through Philadelphia Works. You’ll also learn about the Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL) and the process for getting on this list. Alyssa also shares her thoughts about the benefits for training providers in partnering with Philadelphia Works and being listed on the ETPL, as well as the overall importance of education and training as the economy recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Link to the ETPL Information Sessions Link to the Training Calendar

Lisa Johnson, Industry Partnerships Specialist for Philadelphia Works, joins the program to discuss what an industry partnership is and to talk about her role at Philadelphia Works. You'll learn about the Southeastern Pennsylvania Manufacturing Alliance (SEPMA) and the benefits of SEPMA for employers. Lisa also reveals some of the biggest challenges currently facing the manufacturing industry and the efforts that are underway to strengthen the manufacturing talent pipeline. 

Sue Hoffman, Senior Associate of Innovation for Philadelphia Works, joins the program to discuss how Philadelphia Works and the workforce system are innovating when it comes to reentry services for people with justice involvement. Sue discusses her reappointment as chair of Philadelphia Reentry Coalition’s Employment Subcommittee and two major efforts to catalog services for returning citizens in Philadelphia. Discover some of the barriers to innovation in reentry services and some of the future drivers of innovation. 

Matthew Hutton, Senior Research Analyst at Philadelphia Works, joins the program to discuss the labor market in Philadelphia and how employers can support employees moving forward as the pandemic restrictions begin to lift. Discover the impact of remote learning on parents and how employers can support workers in creating a work-life balance.