Shapiro to speak at Wilkes-Barre Area Career & Technical Center on Tuesday

Apr. 3—WILKES-BARRE — Gov. Josh Shapiro will speak at the Northeast Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trade Council's inaugural Career Day on Tuesday, April 4, at 10:30 a.m., the governor's office confirmed.

Shapiro will visit the Wilkes-Barre Area Career & Technical Center, 350 Jumper Road, Plains Township, where he will discuss the importance of creating opportunities and the freedom for Pennsylvania students to chart their own courses in our Commonwealth.

Gov. Shapiro will highlight his budget proposal's key investments in apprenticeship programs and career and technical training, as well as his plans to grow and expand Pennsylvania's workforce.

"Governor Shapiro is committed to ensuring Pennsylvania students have the skills, resources, and training they need to be prepared for the future — and he will continue working to create real opportunities for students all across the Commonwealth to succeed," a news advisory stated.

On Monday, the Shapiro Administration unveiled a first-of-its-kind plan to tackle Pennsylvania's shortage of certified elementary and secondary teachers through apprenticeship — a workforce development strategy that creates earn-as-you-learn career pathways to family-sustaining jobs.

For workers, apprenticeship is an opportunity to gain in-demand skills while earning a paycheck. For employers, apprenticeship is an opportunity to build their workforce instead of constantly searching for it.

The departments of Labor & Industry (L&I) and Education (PDE) aim to confront Pennsylvania's teacher shortage by expanding the apprenticeship model in the education sector to include training for individuals like paraprofessionals and teachers' aides who want to become certified elementary and secondary teachers. L&I and PDE are looking for partners to create a new apprenticeship model specifically designed for and targeting this population.

"Building opportunity for our kids starts in our classrooms, but students can't succeed if we don't have enough well-qualified, well-paid teachers helping them learn and grow," Shapiro said. "This apprenticeship-driven approach will not only alleviate teacher staffing shortages in our schools, but it will also create a talent pipeline and an education workforce representative of the students it serves."

While there are currently more than 30 registered apprenticeship programs in the education sector throughout Pennsylvania, most are focused on the early childhood education workforce. L&I is soliciting applications for up to $500,000 in grant funding from organizations capable of building a registered apprenticeship program that school districts across Pennsylvania could use as a template for teacher career pathways.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.