In partnership with Accenture, Graduate! Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Works, we launched our Philadelphia Skills Forward Initiative late last year with the goal to hire, train, and mentor over 5,000 regional workers — specifically targeting individuals displaced by the pandemic, those whose jobs are at risk for automation, and Black and brown workers.
The effort is part of the Chamber’s Recharge & Recover PHL initiative and aligns with implementation and action toward the longer-term aspiration for Philadelphia to be a new national model to learn, apprentice, and work in the jobs of the future. Upskilling workers for in-demand roles and engaging employers in this skills-based hiring pledge will be imperative to diversifying talent pipelines in our business community and getting citizens back to work.
While Accenture leads the way in training job seekers through its Skills 2 Succeed Learning Exchange (LX) platform and Graduate! Philadelphia and Philadelphia Works generate a pipeline of unemployed and underemployed job seekers, the Chamber is identifying regional businesses in growth industries that can support job seekers in one of the following ways:
- Consider learners for employment. Interview a worker who has completed the program for employment consideration at your company.
- Provide hands-on instruction to learners. Put your own skills to work as a guest speaker for the health tech administration and information technology learning tracks.
- Mentor a learner. Act as a mentor for a job seeker throughout their training, hiring, and as they adapt to their new position.
Make the commitment to skills-based hiring today by filling out our interest form or reaching out to Patty Day at pday@chamberphl.com for more information.
Resources for Workers
The Philadelphia Skills Forward Initiative also serves as a resource for workers, enabling job seekers with the opportunity to complete courses that focus on digital literacy, career management, and professional skills – all of which can give them the skills to start working in any professional business setting.
In addition to these options for overall skill development, job seekers can pursue more specialized career learning tracks for focused training in areas with the most opportunity for employment in our region. These tracks include entrepreneurship with a focus on learning how to start your own business, health tech and administration, and information technology customer support.
Skills-based hiring is a key strategy of the Recharge & Recover PHL initiative. Join regional leaders as we prioritize regional health and safety, create opportunities for displaced workers, and bolster support for Black, brown, and local businesses in a shared effort to stabilize, energize, and prepare Greater Philadelphia for a durable recovery.
