How to Improve Pennsylvania’s Workforce

In recent years, workforce development has figured as a major topic in Pennsylvania.

Students who used to focus on going to college are looking at different pathways to a good career. No doubt, we need more blue-collar workers. So, why aren’t there more pathways to good careers?

Every economic-development speech focuses on career and technical education. Political ads feature a welder or a pipefitter.

But how can policymakers in Pennsylvania really support workforce development?

It’s important to know that there have been workforce development professionals on the ground, doing the work for decades.

In Pennsylvania, there’s a network of local workforce boards that are empowered by federal legislation and supported by federal funding to provide training opportunities to workers, connect job seekers to opportunities, and help businesses grow and thrive.

They are in their communities every single day, helping strengthen our workforce and economy.

When a business needs workers, it talks with the workforce development professionals at its local workforce board.

Our boards can design unique programs and interventions for businesses based on the local workforce’s skills and the business’s needs.

But as more policymakers are focused on workforce development and career and technical education, how can they support the work of our local workforce boards and help make Pennsylvania’s workforce the strongest in the nation?

First, the interventions and programs that help train workers and build strong workforces for our businesses often rely on outdated data. Due to antiquated state laws, our workforce boards receive local economic and workforce data with a 12 to 24-month lag. This means that the programs they’re developing to train workers for the jobs in the community might not be responsive to what’s happening on the ground.

Our lawmakers need to support legislation to Free the Data, so our workforce boards have access to relevant, timely information to help workers and businesses effectively.

Second, as more workers age out of the workforce, we need to ensure that young workers are trained and ready to fill the open jobs. Our research has found that Pennsylvania’s demographic shift is clear, our population is aging, and we need to ensure young people are ready for the workforce.

We need state investment in youth workforce programming to ensure opportunities are accessible to all, including both in-school and opportunity youth across Pennsylvania.

Third, we need to connect what Pennsylvanians do in schools to what businesses and workers need in their communities. Too often, students and adult learners start learning or training without understanding the career paths available to them. We need to make career paths clear and accessible, uplifting “earn and learn” models that provide practical, hands-on experiences for job seekers. For example, we can remove barriers to a prolonged registration process of pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs in Pennsylvania. Our policymakers also need to help businesses and institutions of higher education map industry-recognized credentials and career paths, empowering Pennsylvanians to make informed career choices and enhancing the education-workforce connection.

In the next few months, our lawmakers will consider this year’s budget proposal.

There are some easy wins that can help make our workforce stronger and connect everyone’s desire for a strong workforce with multiple career pathways for workers. Our boards are ready to train workers and support businesses, and with a few small changes and some key funding, they can make their efforts even stronger so that Pennsylvania has the best workforce in the country.

It’s great that there’s been more focus and conversation around workforce development. Now we need our state policymakers to work with the folks on the ground and give them what they need so Pennsylvanians have a better chance to build a career in their communities and get ahead, and businesses have the workers they need to grow and thrive.

There’s no better time than 2026 to focus sharply on workforce development, and we hope our policymakers are ready to take action.