A local workforce development nonprofit will be getting more than $700,000 from a federal program to get more women into manufacturing jobs, Acting U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Julie Su announced on Wednesday.
At a gathering held at the Energy Innovation Center near the Hill District, Su presented Pittsburgh nonprofit Catalyst Connection with the funds, part of the $6 million National Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant initiative.
Catalyst’s work makes up part of what Su called Pittsburgh’s “opportunity infrastructure” — the metaphorical bridges and pathways that connect people to good careers and jobs. Those pathways are especially important when trying to correct longstanding inequities, she said.
“Really, we are working toward a day where there will no longer be nontraditional occupations for women, because opportunities everywhere for women are going to be the norm, and for women of color in particular, who have been left out for far too long,” said Su.
Catalyst President and CEO Petra Mitchell said her organization’s goal is to recruit more women into its manufacturing apprenticeship program. The $716,701 in grant money will go towards that goal.
“We need to build education and awareness programs, take those to the community, inform and educate people about what do the jobs look like, how much do they pay, what's involved, and so forth,” she said. “Connect them with those employers, and help them to succeed.”
Su also talked with local and regional officials about the importance of workforce development and making the pathway to good jobs equitable. Mayor Ed Gainey, County Executive Sara Innamorato, and Congresswoman Summer Lee were all in attendance, and emphasized that building jobs will take collaboration.
“I want to encourage all of us in the room today to continue to step outside of our silos. We’ve got to break these silos,” said Gainey. “There's no reason why we should not be working together.”
“We can achieve so much when our federal, state and our local leaders work together and when we put labor at the center of our plans," said Lee.
Innamorato emphasized that equitable workforce development involves more than just jobs.
“Economic development is also a conversation around senior care and childcare subsidies. It's about investing in transit and making sure that we have a world-class service that moves people around the county,” she said.
“It means that we are building on the success of our reentry programs, and moving people from a carceral system into places of opportunity. And of course, it means that we're creating safe, affordable and dignified housing for working families across this region.”
