Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jennifer Berrier today highlighted an initiative to provide training for emerging jobs in agribusiness. The partnership among The GIANT Company, workforce development organizations, three academic institutions and Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Foundation is supported by a recent $250,000 Industry Partnership Grant from L&I.
“This grant program builds on Governor Wolf’s PAsmart initiative, through which the administration has distributed nearly $60 million statewide since 2018 to expand job training through registered apprenticeships and industry partnerships and to support STEM and computer science education in hundreds of Pennsylvania schools,” Secretary Berrier said. “Workforce development is most successful when community members collaborate to develop practical solutions to collective problems. The future of Pennsylvania’s economy will be largely determined by workers – the majority of us who depend on steady paychecks to sustain our families and plan for the future. Industry leaders who invest in their workers – particularly with educational opportunities that lead to better-paying jobs — will be rewarded many times over with the loyalty of a workforce that has more choices today than at any time in recent history.”
The project will build on an existing leadership program created for incumbent GIANT Company employees by expanding to include additional occupations and also serve dislocated workers – particularly within underserved populations — in the southcentral Pennsylvania region. Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, Shippensburg University, and Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) are developing curriculum and credited education to put workers on a successful career pathway within agribusiness, including transportation/warehousing and manufacturing.
“Through the grant and this unique collaboration, stakeholders will work to address upskilling needs for food manufacturers and grocery retailers like The GIANT Company across the Midstate,” said Matt Lutcavage, Vice President of Team Experience and Chief Human Resources Officer for The GIANT Company. “Together, we’ll work to reskill dislocated workers and skill potential workers for two of the commonwealth’s most in-demand industries: agribusiness and transportation and warehousing – industries our company is forever grateful for and reliant upon.”
Strengthening job and skills training in Pennsylvania is a priority for the Wolf Administration. Several workforce development programs designed to meet local employer needs have been created, which include the Keystone Economic Development and Workforce Command Center, launched in 2019. This strategic public-private partnership helps to identify and address barriers to work, the skills gaps, and worker shortages in Pennsylvania.
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