Pittsburgh Regional Alliance

Workforce

The Pittsburgh region has the educated, skilled workforce you need to grow your business. Our workforce is:

Educated – Among the most educated in the nation; nearly 50 percent of the region’s younger workforce have a bachelor’s degree or higher
Abundant – An ample, skilled pipeline is fueled by nearly 36,000 students graduating each year from the region’s 36 colleges and universities, plus 90 career and apprenticeship programs
Affordable – Wage rates are 97% of the national average
Innovative – Our colleges and universities include top-ranked research & development institutions that are fostering creative minds; annually the region’s private, academic and government entities invest some $3 billion in R&D
Well-Prepared – Abundance of community and technical colleges and four year universities, regional employers have access to a workforce with diversified skill-sets
Entrepreneurial – Networks and programs are in place to encourage and grow start-ups
Committed – Regional employers consistently describe their employees as loyal and hardworking
Collaborative – Employers work closely with post-secondary educators to tailor education and training programs to the needs of today’s workforce

View the human resources section of our Regional Data for information about local employment numbers and wages. Industry-specific talent information can also be found throughout our array of collateral regarding the region’s target sectors.

Visit ImaginePittsburgh.com, the one-stop job search and career awareness portal.

ShaleNET: Linking Talent to Opportunity

Beginning in 2011, we convened industry and community college representatives to create ShaleNET, a comprehensive recruitment, training, placement, and retention program to help provide the gas industry with a ready and well-trained local workforce for occupations that are in high demand. Working together, ShaleNET partners across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and New York secured a $4.9 million U.S. Department of Labor grant to launch the program that has placed over 1,000 workers to date. In October 2012, the International Economic Development Council named ShaleNET the recipient of its Gold Excellence in Economic Development Award for Economic Development Training in communities with greater than 500,000 in population.

In 2012, the ShaleNET effort grew to two additional states (Texas and Ohio) and the partnership secured a new $14.9 million Department of Labor grant for expanded ShaleNET U.S. activities including "stackable" credentials that will support lifelong education and training, a shared curriculum and cloud-based educational resources.

Workforce Analysis Report: Well-Compensated Energy Jobs to Grow Through 2020

The Pittsburgh region is poised to see the number of energy-related careers grow significantly by the end of the decade. According to a recently completed Workforce Analysis Report conducted by global talent-recruitment consultancy DDI, employers have identified 14 high-demand, hard-to-fill occupations, posing a challenge to workforce development efforts. These jobs include engineers and maintenance technicians, welders and salespeople, jobs requiring post-high school training as well as professional degrees.

Press Release | Executive Summary

Regional Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs):

Three Rivers WIB – City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County
Southwest Corner WIB – Greene Washington and Beaver counties
Tri-County WIB – Butler, Armstrong, Indiana counties
West Central WIB – Lawrence and Mercer* counties
Westmoreland-Fayette WIB – Westmoreland, Fayette

*Outside Pittsburgh’s 10-county region

Additional Resources:

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ALLEGHENY CONFERENCE ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
11 Stanwix Street, 17th Floor · Pittsburgh, PA 15222 · 412.281.4783

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