As a part of a set of continued efforts to develop proactive and equitable talent solutions for the growing industries in Greater Philadelphia, the Chamber participated in a collaborative effort led by Philadelphia Works to apply for the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Good Jobs Challenge.

In early August, the EDA announced that this collaborative application was one of 32 applications—of over 500 nationwide—selected to receive financial resources in support of regional workforce development efforts.

The total award of nearly $23 million in funding will allow for the design and implementation of a streamlined regional workforce training system with high-quality employment opportunities across three critical industries: healthcare and life sciences, energy, and infrastructure. To support the initiative and maximize the efficacy of the regional effort, three local organizations have been selected to manage the partnership by sector:

  • The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) is the lead organization managing the healthcare and life sciences sector partnership. WPSI has placed 97% of program graduates into well-paying jobs, by longstanding partnerships and relationships with key regional healthcare employers.
  • The Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA) is the lead organization managing the energy sector partnership. PEA will focus on training skilled workers in the solar subsector, which continues to grow exponentially in the Greater Philadelphia region and beyond.
  • Philadelphia Area Labor-Management Committee (PALM), a partnership between the business and labor communities, is the lead organization managing the infrastructure sector partnership. Through their leadership of the BUILT-RITE program that convenes contractors, unions, and construction users they are committed to improving the outcomes of construction projects and the industry competitiveness of their members.

These partnerships align with the Chamber’s ongoing work to support these industries and their key subsectors, including the Chamber’s Cell & Gene Therapy Initiative, Life Science Talent Collaborative, Energy and Infrastructure Talent Collaborative, Philadelphia Skills Forward Initiative partnership, and Advanced Manufacturing Strategy currently in development. The Chamber looks forward to continuing to play a key employer engagement role across these industries as the Good Jobs Challenge project moves forward.

The joint application and its ultimate selection were made possible by several partners, including the lead entity, Philadelphia Works, as well as the City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce, Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs), and designated economic development entities from Philadelphia (PIDC), Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Berks Counties.

Through the Chamber’s partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia to track job growth via the Inclusive Growth Dashboard, there is the potential for the efforts of this application to result in significant, measurable increases in job growth over the coming years, particularly in high growth sectors and compared to growth in those same sectors across our peer regions.

About the Inclusive Growth Dashboard

The Inclusive Growth Dashboard is a data visualization tool that will help city and regional policymakers, business and civic leaders, and the public understand the condition of the Greater Philadelphia economy, and measure the region’s success in reaching the five Recharge & Recover PHL aspirations.

With a focus on expanding equitable opportunities, jobs, and wages on par with the U.S. economy and ahead of the Greater Philadelphia’s peer metro areas, the Chamber has designed this dashboard – in partnership with Boston Consulting Group – to serve as a one-stop shop for key indicators of the region’s economic health and vitality.

Through these metrics, the dashboard will monitor macro-economic conditions in Greater Philadelphia over time, and in comparison to seven peer metropolitan areas based on a variety of relevant factors: Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Washington, D.C.