PA Needs Young People to Work, Stay in the State

Pennsylvania needs more young people to stay, work, and thrive in our Commonwealth. But unfortunately, for many years, we’ve seen young people look around and decide that there aren’t enough opportunities or pathways to a good career here in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association’s Youth Demographic Study showed youth numbers remain steady, but the retirement-age group has doubled since 1990.

Young people represent a shrinking portion of the total population. As older Pennsylvanians retire, there just aren’t enough young people – especially with key skills to replace them.

Pennsylvania has made some progress in the last few years. Grow PA, a program developed by Sen. Scott Martin to provide scholarships to Pennsylvania students seeking to enter high-demand professions, is already yielding early results. But we all know now that college can’t be the only pathway.

That’s why we need a similar, focused investment in youth workforce development.

We are asking the legislature to develop the Pennsylvania Youth Career Pathways Initiative and invest $25 million in our young people, with a focus on new career pathways.

It is modeled after a program that has worked.

But relying on the federal government is not a sustainable strategy for Pennsylvania.

It is time for the commonwealth to build and fund a youth workforce program of its own, one that aligns directly with our economic development investments and gives young people clear, early pathways into high-demand careers.

Getting young people into the workforce when they are in their late teens and early twenties helps them earn a paycheck and get used to being in a job. It helps them build skills and network. It gives them the pride and security of a paycheck. And it sets them on a good path so they can build a career. 

To make this a reality for more young people in Pennsylvania, we need our legislators to build a program that Pennsylvania can call its own and provide clear career pathways for young people early in their careers.

Local workforce development boards are ready to lead this work. They understand their regional economies, their employers, and the barriers young people face.

But they need support from our state legislators. It's time for us to build something together that puts young people on the right path for careers.

We’re tired of hearing from employers that there aren’t enough workers to fill jobs. We’re tired of reading stories about young people leaving our commonwealth in search of opportunities elsewhere.

If we are serious about economic growth, we must be just as serious about building the workforce to sustain it.

That starts with investing in our young people.

A dedicated, $25 million Pennsylvania Youth Career Pathways Initiative will help keep talent in Pennsylvania, get our businesses the workers they need to grow, and set so many young people on the path to good careers in our commonwealth. 

Let’s invest in our young people. Let’s help our employers get the workers they need right now. And let’s help Pennsylvania thrive even as we experience huge demographic changes.

A dedicated program and investment in youth workforce development can help achieve these goals, and we want to work with our legislators to get it done.

Lauren Holubec is executive director of the Pennsylvania Workforce Association.