Governor Tom Wolf announced new funding for Project SPARK, through Pennsylvania’s Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Program (MTTC), to help recruit and train 150 individuals to help replenish the skilled workforce in Lancaster County.
“Providing a strong pipeline of talent to the manufacturing industry is vital for its continued success in Pennsylvania,” said Gov. Wolf. “The commonwealth has seen great success through programs such as Project SPARK, being run by Lancaster County Career and Technical Center, and the Wolf Administration remains committed to continuing to invest in these important programs.”
The Wolf Administration is awarding Project SPARK a $94,000 grant through the MTTC.
Project SPARK was created with the intention of bringing more young workers into the manufacturing field by focusing on recent Lancaster County Career and Technical Center (LCCTC) graduates that had not attained workforce and technical skills for a career. This funding will allow Project SPARK to expand the program beyond young workers to unemployed adults and newly hired employees who lack missing essential skills.
This funding announcement builds upon the previous MTTC investment of $92,000 in grant funding to Project SPARK in 2018.
Governor Wolf’s Manufacturing PA initiative was launched in October 2017 and since then has funded 80 projects and invested more than $17.1 million through the MTTC program. Training-to-Career grants support projects that result in short-term work readiness, job placement, or the advancement of manufacturing.
The Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant program works collaboratively with local manufacturers to identify and teach missing essential skills for entry-level applicants seeking manufacturing employment, engage youth or those with barriers to career opportunities in manufacturing, and or advance capacity for local or regional manufacturers.