County Level Workforce Development Team “Out of School Youth Project”

In late 2018, Erie Together began facilitating the Erie “County Level Workforce Development Team (CLWDT)” to create and implement a special program now known as the “Out of School Youth Project.” A link to the program’s promotional flyer appears at the bottom of this page, and the following paragraphs provide additional context. This project concluded during the pandemic.

The CLWDT consisted of roughly a dozen workforce development organizations and educational providers in Erie County, PA. This particular project was designed to identify and support Out of School Youth with training and other resources to prepare them for, and connect them with, local job opportunities. For the purposes of this project, “Out of School Youth” were individuals who were 18-24 years old and were high school dropouts, or had a diploma or equivalent but were unable to secure and maintain self-sustaining employment.

The initial focus of this project was on hard-to-fill entry-level jobs in the healthcare industry, and based on existing data and input from local employers, the CLWDT started with nurse aide positions for the program’s pilot. The CLWDT recruited employers that committed to interview candidates who successfully complete the nurse aide training, and HVA Senior Living Alliance agreed to be the training partner for the first cohort. Northwest PA CareerLink® and NWPA Job Connect were also key implementation partners.

The promotional flyer for the program, which included important details and how to take part, can be found here.