City Releases Year One Progress Report for Citywide Workforce Strategy, Highlights Power of Partnership
PHILADELPHIA – One year after launching a citywide workforce development strategy and Office of Workforce Development, the City of Philadelphia released the first progress report for Fueling Philadelphia’s Talent Engine. The report highlights public-private partnerships, details the progress made in the past year, and describes building on that progress in the year ahead.
In 2018, the City and its partners launched the Fueling Philadelphia’s Talent Engine workforce strategy as a blueprint for driving economic growth with equity, based on three core goals:
- Prepare Philadelphians with the skills employers need for a world-class workforce.
- Address the barriers that prevent Philadelphians from accessing meaningful career opportunities.
- Build a workforce system that is more coordinated, innovative and effective.
“This strategy’s impact on residents and families, and on the economic health of the city overall, will continue to pay off for years to come,” said Mayor Kenney. “In just one year, we have expanded our collective capacity to support career pathways and success for thousands of Philadelphians. While we are proud of what the City and our partners have achieved in Year One, we also look forward to Year Two and maximizing our shared progress toward a Philadelphia that works for us all.”
The progress report highlights details on outcomes that have been achieved in Year One, including:
- Employers engaged in designing workforce education and training while preparing residents not just for a job, but for a career.
- Curricula adapted to help residents build literacy and technical skills simultaneously, accelerating their path to a living wage.
- Opportunities increased and improved for young people to explore their career interests and prepare for success in college and on the job.
- Synergy strengthened across partner organizations, making it easier for Philadelphians to advance their career goals and employers to source talent.
- Millions of dollars leveraged in new public and private investment to advance partnership momentum into Year Two.
“One year after the launch of Fueling Philadelphia’s Talent Engine and establishment of the Office of Workforce Development at the City, it is thrilling to present this report on the power of citywide partnerships and the steps we have taken toward creating career pathways for all Philadelphians,” said Sheila Ireland, Executive Director, Office of Workforce Development. “The Office will continue to convene, coordinate and champion the alignment of education and workforce systems with the talent needs of employers. I am proud of our impact thus far and excited that employers and job seekers will benefit from our shared strategy going forward.”
An advisory board of committed leadership guides the Fueling Philadelphia’s Talent Engine partnership across numerous public and private organizations citywide. Key partners include Philadelphia Works, the School District of Philadelphia, Community College of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Youth Network, and the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.
“What this leadership cohort has accomplished in one year within the citywide workforce development strategy is phenomenal. Strategically allocating resources and aligning efforts for maximum outcomes has always made sense, but what Mayor Kenney was able to do is shift a workforce culture from reactively focusing on problems to proactively identifying solutions,” said Philadelphia Works President & CEO Patrick Clancy. “As the City’s Workforce Development Board, Philadelphia Works continues to be a proud partner in this movement. Such a big approach called for big leadership, and what we see, one year in, are big wins.”
The Fueling Philadelphia’s Talent Engine strategy materials can be viewed at phila.gov/workforce.