HARRISBURG – Low-income Pennsylvanians will have greater access to training and employment services as the departments of Public Welfare and Labor & Industry partner in using federal Recovery Act funds to promote employment opportunities.
With additional Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more Pennsylvanians, including youth seeking summer employment, will receive assistance in finding meaningful work, bringing benefits to their families and employers statewide.
“Together we have the chance to make a real difference in the lives of low income families across Pennsylvania,” said acting Secretary of Public Welfare Harriet Dichter. “Providing them with these opportunities connects them to the workplace, lets them earn some additional income, and builds new skills that will help them to be more successful at work.”
A top priority of the coordinating agencies, the jobs program will target low income Pennsylvanians, including TANF participants, SNAP (food stamps) recipients, as well as these receiving unemployment compensation.
Working through local Workforce Investment Boards, the TANF funds from the Recovery Act will be used to support wages in subsidized jobs, supplementing other federal funds, which provide career guidance, skill assessments, case management supportive services, basic skills and literacy training, as well as occupational training.
“In this challenging economy, we must be innovative and aggressive in our approach to identify opportunities for Pennsylvanians to take part in our economic recovery,” said Labor & Industry Secretary Sandi Vito. “Using these funds, we will replicate the successful summer youth employment program and help create job opportunities for adults.”
Guidelines for the summer youth and adult subsidized employment programs is available online, under “Recovery Act Workforce Information,” then “Workforce Development.”
For more information about how local communities are benefiting from Recovery Act funds, visit here.