Auditor General DePasquale Talks with Public, Local Leaders, Employers About Erie County Workforce Training Needs
Auditor General DePasquale Talks with Public, Local Leaders, Employers About Erie County Workforce Training Needs
ERIE (Oct. 5, 2017) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today said a community forum held in Erie featured a wide-ranging discussion on the workforce needs of northwest Pennsylvania and how to help residents obtain the skills they need to better prepare for jobs in an ever-changing economy.
“There is an intensly high interest by employers, the chamber of commerce and those tasked with job training to work together to create and retain jobs in the Erie area,” DePasquale said at a forum held at Penn State Behrend. “Northwestern Pennsylvania clearly needs adaptable and needs-driven job training programs.”
In September, DePasquale launched a performance audit to determine if the state’s workforce development system, which reaches across five state agencies, is properly preparing workers for the ever-changing job market.
“I want to make sure we are doing everything possible to have the best trained workers in the world so we can take full advantage of every economic growth opportunity,” DePasquale said. “Pennsylvania is competing in an increasingly challenging global economy, and we will rise to the top by investing in effective, efficient and needs-based workforce development initiatives.”
This was the fifth in a series of workforce development and job training forums DePasquale has hosted statewide to prepare for an audit of the effectiveness of state-funded, workforce training programs. Other forums were held in Beaver, Lancaster, Lehigh and Luzerne counties.
The panelists in Erie included employers, educators, community advocates, and business and industry leaders:
- Janet Anderson, executive director, Northwest Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board and NW PA Job Connect,
- Michelle Hartmann, director, community and workforce programming, Penn State Behrend,
- Andrea MacArthur, vice president, learning and development, Erie Insurance,
- Scott Slawson, president, United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers Local 506, and
- Brett Wiler, director of research and grants and business outreach, Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership.
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