The Pittsburgh Regional Compact

The Pittsburgh Regional Compact is an employer-educator partnership designed to develop our region’s workforce for 21st-century jobs. The Compact engages regional employers, educators and program providers in a coordinated partnership to prepare southwestern Pennsylvania students for successful careers in the region. The Compact’s coordinated approach to career education will make southwestern Pennsylvania a model for developing a highly skilled workforce – the most important element in modern economic growth.

The Challenge:
Over the last 50 years, the number of jobs that require technical and professional training has grown dramatically. Working in today’s global economy demands significantly different preparation than careers and jobs of the past required.

As a result of this trend, the Pittsburgh region faces two conflicting challenges:

• employers have difficulty filling open positions
• many residents are unable to find satisfactory work

As the region’s aging workforce retires, too few high school and college graduates have the skills necessary to meet employers’ needs. Employers in the Pittsburgh region need to hire recent high school and college graduates who are prepared to fill the jobs available in southwestern Pennsylvania.

The Solution:
The Pittsburgh Regional Compact allows local employers and educators to work together to customize career education for students – future employees – so that they are ready for 21st-century jobs in the region. Through the Compact, students are exposed to a wide variety of career options, enabling them to make informed decisions about their futures.

By aligning career education with the needs of employers, the Compact creates a reliable pool of skilled workers ready for our region’s jobs. Work readiness training, career awareness activities, experiential learning and student internships are just some of the ways for employers and educators to collaborate for effective career education.

To learn more about the Compact—and to get involved as a Compact partner—visit the Pittsburgh Regional Compact Web site.