Work-force development professionals think they have found a new way to increase the quality of life by improving the work force and the economy. They have identified industry clusters.
Two workforce investment boards that represent Central Pennsylvania, as well as the Labor & Industry Department of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Labor Department, chose the industry clusters. They were selected because they employ a lot of people, they could create high-wage, high-demand jobs, and they provide competitive advantages and growth opportunities.
Central Pennsylvania's two WIBs are working to strengthen eight industries, with health care and construction a focus of both groups. The eight industries, which also include food processing and biotechnology, have the greatest potential for job growth in 2005, the WIBs' leaders said.
About a year ago, the Southcentral (Pennsylvania) Workforce Investment Board decided to focus on health care, construction and manufacturing, said Bob Garraty the board's executive director. The WIB covers eight counties, including Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon and York.
The WIB has attracted more hospital workers than the number of available training slots in WIB classrooms, Garraty said. A committee has been formed to solve that problem. Nurses and certified nurses' aides are in high demand.
The construction industry is on the upswing, he said. Several construction companies are recruiting for jobs that pay well and offer strong benefits. The challenge is to convince people to consider pursuing careers in that field.
"Before, a dad (who worked in the construction industry) had his son go into an apprenticeship (at a construction company)," Garraty said. "Now, dad sends his son to college."
The economy will determine whether Central Pennsylvania's construction industry booms next year, said Terrence McDonough, executive director of Harrisburg-based Keystone Contractors Association.
"If the economy takes off, Pennsylvania will spend money to build buildings, bridges and highways. if they are built, then maybe someone will say they want to build hotels or Wal-Marts," McDonough said.
The manufacturing industry's food-packaging sector is strong, Garraty said. It could grow if it worked more closely with community colleges, he said. Community colleges can set up new work-force training programs for companies that innovate, he said.
Although the manufacturing industry is shedding jobs, it is becoming more productive, said Scott Sheely, executive director of the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board. "In manufacturing, everyone has this perception that everything has gone to hell..." Sheely said. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Labor indicated that is not true, he said.
The study compared output and employment in goods-producing industries in 2002 with projections for 2012. The study predicted output growth of 22.8 percent and employment growth of 3.7 percent. Much of the reason for that difference is because manufacturers are investing in technology that does the work of many employees, Sheely said.
"In manufacturing, you won't see a lot of growth, but you'll see more technology," Sheely said. "In biotechnology, we're seeing a lot of growth...
"I keep complaining that people think of Lancaster County as a low-skill, no-skill, low-tech, no-tech place. The Brookings report leaves the image that we're plodding along, producing the same things as the last 25 years. Some of that's true, but we're also making new things."
The Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, released a report in December that detailed Pennsylvania's many issues with demographics, economics, sprawl and abandonment. One example of new things Lancaster County manufacturers are making is upscale, finished cabinets, Sheely said.
The Lancaster County WIB has chosen to prioritize growth in the following clusters: health care, construction, food processing, biotechnology, communications, metals and metal fabricating, and automotive.
The Southcentral WIB is trying to work more closely with county economicdevelopment corporations to better meet their work-force development needs, Garraty said.
For example, he is helping Mike Ross, president of the Franklin County Area Economic Development Corp., find skilled workers for new companies in the county.
About 30,000 people leave York, Adams and Franklin counties each day to work in Maryland, Garraty said.
They might be doing so because southcentral Pennsylvania lacks high-skilled jobs, he added.
Richard R. Bacha, assistant professor of business administration at Penn State York, said computer and health-care jobs are hot. Independent consultants who focus on technology and possess general business knowledge are faring well, he said. A few years ago, technology consultants just knew about computers, he said.
The education industry has a lot of potential for growth, Bacha said. Numerous secondary and higher-education teaching jobs are open because of an increasing number of students and retiring teachers. "Of course, that makes me happy," Bacha said.
AT A GLANCE WIBs
* The federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 created local Workforce Investment Areas (WIAs). They are responsible for allocating and distributing training money from the government for local employers and work-force development initiatives.
* Pennsylvania has 23 WIAs. They are controlled by 22 Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs). (Pittsburgh and the rest of Allegheny County came together for administrative reasons.)
* Two workforce investment boards represent Central Pennsylvania: the Southcentral Workforce Investment Board and the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board. The Southcentral WIB covers eight counties: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lebanon, Perry and York.
SOURCE: PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & INDUSTRY
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