Industry Partnerships

Businesses need highly skilled workers, workers need good jobs and career opportunities, and the region needs top quality companies and a strong workforce. Industry Partnerships are a kind of "workforce intermediary," that bring together employers, workers and job training providers from a single industry to improve the whole industry's competitiveness and address common workforce challenges, such as critical human resource needs. Industry Partnerships offer access to regional and industry-specific knowledge and training. They build professional networks that promote innovation and efficiency, and provide a forum for collaboration and sharing best practices.

In 2001, the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board began leading this type of work, which contributed to the creation of the Commonwealth's first industry partnership — the Life Science Career Alliance. In 2006, Governor Rendell launched JobReady PA to award grants to seed new partnerships and strengthen existing ones. Since that time, the Commonwealth has continued its support of these employer groups, and in 2010, invested nearly $1 million in our region.

The Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board plays an important role in soliciting this funding, optimizing the impact of Industry Partnerships in the region, and maximizing success. To learn more about the accomplishments achieved through Industry Partnerships, download the most recent annual reports.

Download Industry Sector Annual Reports

> Energy Annual Report 2010
> Healthcare Annual Report 2010
> Logistics and Transportation Annual Report 2010
> Manufacturing Annual Report 2010

Targeted Industry Clusters

To guide Industry Partnership grants, the Commonwealth developed a list of targeted industry clusters and eight sub-clusters based on detailed industry analysis, knowledge from leading local Workforce Investment Boards, and input from educators and representatives of the Departments of Labor and Industry and Community and Economic Development. Each of the targeted industry clusters consists of a group of industries that are closely linked by common product markets, labor pools, similar technologies, supply chains, and/or other economic ties. Those industries are:

1. Advanced Materials and Diversified Manufacturing including: Chemical, Rubber and Plastics, Electronics, Metals and Metal Fabrication, Printing and Vehicle and Vehicle Equipment
2. Agriculture and Food Production
3. Bio-Medical
4. Building and Construction
5. Business and Financial Services
6. Education
7. Energy
8. Health Care
9. Information and Communication Services
10. Logistics and Transportation
11. Lumber, Wood and Paper

> View Full List of High Priority Occupations

For more information on targeted industry clusters contact Brian Oglesby, Senior Associate, at the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board at 215-717-2009 or boglesby@pwib.org.

Additional Resources and Downloads

> Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry High Priority Occupations Policy 2010