PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A group of funders is putting up more than $8 million for an effort to help Philadelphia-area residents get jobs in growth industries.
Nineteen nonprofits that focus on workforce development will share the money to enhance their programs with the kinds of services that can mean the difference between completing job training or dropping out — things like child care, transportation, credentialing fees and professional clothing.
Last spring, when Mayor Cherelle Parker announced $10 million in city funds to create the City College for Municipal Employment, the William Penn Foundation recruited Comcast and four other philanthropic organizations to match the investment.
“We wanted to prioritize careers where we thought there would be long-term growth opportunities for workers,” said Shawn McCaney, executive director of the William Penn Foundation.
Using studies by Pew and the Brookings Institution, McCaney said they identified three areas that fit the criteria: “Enterprise digital solutions, materials machining and fabrication, and biomedical and life sciences.”
He estimated that the money would help more than 4,000 job-seekers, with the ultimate goal of reducing poverty and improving the region’s economic mobility.
“What we’re trying to do is knock down the barriers that prevent people from getting the skills they need to secure better-paying, family-sustaining jobs,” McCaney added.