Partner4Work will act as the Pittsburgh anchor for this White House workforce initiative

Workforce development agency Partner4Work will be the Pittsburgh anchor institution for the new White House Workforce Talent Hub initiative, the City of Pittsburgh announced today.

In May, President Joe Biden’s administration launched the economic program and designated five US cities as “workforce hubs” — Columbus, Baltimore Phoenix, Augusta and Pittsburgh, the last of which was picked for its prowess in advanced manufacturing and clean energy. The designation means these regions will receive dedicated resources for apprenticeship programs, tech training and other support “to help underrepresented individuals have a pathway to prosperity.”

Specific funding details were not shared, nor were specifics of how resources will be dispersed. The White House Talent Hub announcement cites its jobs-related investments from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.

According to Mayor Ed Gainey, Partner4Work was deemed to be the best organization to provide assistance for the new White House initiative due to successfully operating workforce development programs in the region.

“Partner4Work has a proven track record of administering, creating, and maintaining good job connections within various businesses and workforce development in our area,” Gainey said in a statement. “They work hard to provide marginalized communities with an opportunity to gain skills that allow them to get good paying jobs that can support their families.”

From Partner4Work’s perspective, CEO Rob Cherry said the org’s leadership is proud to have the mayor’s office trust, and he hopes the organization will be able to provide vital resources to underrepresented workers.

“Partner4Work is proud to have been selected by the Gainey Administration to serve as the anchor organization to galvanize opportunities under President Biden’s designation,” said Cherry in a release. “This designation brings resources to catalyze public and private-sector investments in workers, particularly under-represented workers. This is the opportunity to braid resources and collective strategic thinking to help individuals grow careers and grow roots in a community to thrive.”

Back in September, Pittsburgh also received $62.7 million in federal grants from the Build Back Better Regional Challenge from the US Economic Development Administration to advance equity-minded robotics projects.

Atiya Irvin-Mitchell is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Heinz Endowments.