Work force group receives $286K grant

NEPA to train workers for financial sector backup

By TOM KANE

HONESDALE, PA — Employers are not going to locate in Wayne County if there is not a skilled workforce to get their jobs done. So says Marie McDonnell, director of Wayne County Job Training Project.

“It’s important that this area develop a workforce that will attract companies to locate here in our planned corporate park,” she said. McDonnell received approval from the Wayne County Commissioners on October 16 to hire a director and a workforce coordinator for a new initiative called Workforce Wayne.

The new director is Jennifer Porter, who will be paid $48,000, and the new coordinator is Lyndsay Birmelin, who will be paid $30,000.

Workforce Wayne, a local job training initiative that has been three years in the making, received $285,000 from the latest round of Wall Street West funding, which distributed $6.5 million in federal Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) funds. The funds are to be used to create programs that will strengthen the workforce capacity in Berks, Carbon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Pike and Wayne counties.

In the wake of the September 11th attacks, the Securities and Exchange Commission recommended that financial services firms develop reliable backup operations outside the New York City power grid, watershed and geographic proximity. This federal action provided the impetus for Governor Ed Rendell to submit the Wall Street West proposal for Northeastern Pennsylvania. The three-year $15 million WIRED grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Education and Training Administration, to the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Northeastern Pennsylvania WIRED grant was one of just 13 nationwide.

About Workforce Wayne

Workforce Wayne is a partnership of representatives from three local school districts and higher education institutions serving Wayne County, chambers of commerce, private businesses, economic development organizations, job service agencies and non-profit groups. The initiative is innovative in nature, calling for collaboration, communication and cooperation of many workforce entities. It includes such agencies as the Northeast Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA).

“It’s three purposes are to strengthen workforce quality, develop career opportunities and foster a culture of lifelong learning,” McDonnell said.

For more information contact McDonnell at 570/253-5970, ext. 1765.

For more information on the Wall Street West partners and programs, visit www.wallstreetwest.org or call 610/758-5233.