What is the Workforce Hub Initiative?

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda — including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act — are catalyzing public- and private-sector investments across the nation, including significant concentrations in key regions. As part of the Administration’s Investing in America workforce initiatives, the Pittsburgh region was selected as one of five Workforce Hubs in May 2023.

The Pittsburgh Workforce Hub Initiative seeks to build momentum for actions and partnerships that will connect people in the Pittsburgh region to good-quality careers related to major federal and private-sector investments.

This work cannot be done in silos; it requires the engagement and partnership of a wide range of stakeholders to strengthen and promote equitable career pathway opportunities in our targeted sectors:

Who's Involved?

Office of Mayor Ed Gainey

Partner4Work

U.S. Department of Labor

White House Domestic Policy Council

Priority Goals

  1. Build and scale meaningful, accessible pathways into union-skilled trades and wealth-building jobs for:
    • system involved /emancipated youth
    • returning citizens
    • single custodial parents/households
    • refugees and immigrants
    • residents of key high/extreme need neighborhoods
  2. Create a strong employment pipeline pool of skilled candidates for these existing and new opportunities
  3. Ensure that Federal investments in Infrastructure create good jobs for job seekers in our region while driving external transparency in investments.
  4. Develop accountability and monitoring tools for local and state-funded projects in the Pittsburgh MSA region
  5. Include community engagement and input in the design of the workforce ecosystem, which includes the provision of supportive services
  6. Grow the availability and inclusivity of Registered Apprenticeship programs and other earn-and-learn programs in the key sectors
  7. Help employers implement Job Quality principles

Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles

This initiative seeks to augment and scale the work of a wide range of workforce development partners, including employers, industry associations, unions, community-based organizations, educational institutions, training providers, local and state agencies, and more.

This initiative works to ground itself in Mayor Gainey’s foundation pillars for healthy communities which are safe, welcoming, and thriving in conjunction with the Department of Labor’s Job Quality and worker voice principles. The main goal is to obtain public commitments from labor, employer, community, governmental, and philanthropic partners to

  1. Build a regional equity framework (working title “Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles”) that builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Good Jobs Principles
  2. Joint implementation to operationalize the Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles

What are Pittsburgh's Good Jobs Principles?

  • Priority recruitment, training, hiring, and retention of disadvantaged worker populations including through partnerships with community-based organizations that have expertise and track records in serving disadvantaged workers
  • Implementation of strategies that build equitable pathways for disadvantaged workers into good jobs and careers including:
    • pre-apprenticeship programs with direct entry into registered apprenticeship programs
    • registered apprenticeship programs
    • apprenticeship utilization requirements
    • barrier-reduction strategies such as wrap-around supportive services
    • training that promotes an inclusive and harassment/discrimination-free workplace environment and culture
  • Tracking, measurement, and assessment of the progress in recruiting, training, hiring, retaining, and promoting disadvantaged workers through shared compliance, tracking, and reporting strategies and tools
  • Embedding the Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles in procurement and contracting processes to the greatest extent permissible by law
  • Creation of an engagement and collaboration committee structure with an inclusive and diverse membership, including representation of organizations that serve disadvantaged workers, to implement the Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles, as well as jointly address and solve challenges
  • Utilization of project labor agreements (PLAs), community benefits agreements (CBAs), and other tools to codify and enforce these Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles and agreements.

Critical Sectors

Critical Industry Sectors Selected for the HUB

Pittsburgh is a hub for innovation across critical sectors, with strong growth in advanced manufacturing (including robotics and biomanufacturing), broadband, and clean energy (including batteries). Transportation infrastructure, particularly our local, county, state, and federal highway projects, plays a major role in providing well-paying sustainable jobs in our region.

The surrounding region of Southwestern Pennsylvania — a priority Energy Community that includes Pittsburgh — was awarded a Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant to expand the region’s growing robotics cluster and ensure the benefits extend to rural coal-impacted communities in the region. The growth of these industries— along with significant investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in transportation, water infrastructure, and more — will continue to drive significant demand for talent.

General Operations and Direction of the Workforce HUB

The Pittsburgh Workforce Hub will work to secure private-sector and state and local commitments to expand pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship programs, develop or expand career and technical education programs aligned to Investing in America jobs and careers, and provide supportive services that are particularly critical to helping underrepresented students and workers succeed. In addition to student career pathways, our administration prioritizes the inclusion of system-involved youth single custodial parents, returning citizens, and our immigrant and refugee population. By utilizing the Allegheny County Community Need Index, we prioritize workforce development efforts and Hub activities serving residents of high- and extreme-need neighborhoods (see map below).

Workforce Hub Activity

  • Timeline item 1 - complete

    May 16, 2023

    Pittsburgh identified as a Workforce Talent Hub

  • Timeline item 2 - complete

    July 18, 2023

    First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden, Acting Secretary Julie Su, and Secretary Buttigieg visit Pittsburgh to Recognize Pit2Work Program at the Pittsburgh International Airport.

    Secretary Su, White House, and other Department of Labor Senior Officials met with Mayor Gainey and City of Pittsburgh team.

  • Timeline item 3 - complete

    August 11, 2023

    Senior Advisor Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu hosts a Roundtable in Pittsburgh with labor leaders, community partners, construction and transportation leaders

  • Timeline item 4 - complete

    September 13, 2023

    Workforce Funding Collaborative and Early Childhood Collaborative Convened with the White House and the Department of Labor.

    Advanced Manufacturing Intermediaries Convened with White House & Department of Labor.

  • Timeline item 5 - complete

    October 9, 2023

    The Mayor’s Office met with our Labor Champions Darrin Kelly and Steve Mazza to discuss how a Regional Equity Agreement can apply and monitor appropriate apprentice-to-journeyman staffing ratios on federally funded projects in our region.

    Cultural competency, recruitment outreach, and employee retention based on project workflow were also mentioned as important components of the Regional Equity Agreement (REA)

  • Timeline item 6 - complete

    October 11, 2023

    Clean Energy Table Meeting with Sustainable Pittsburgh

    The City and Partner4work received on overview of the clean energy supply chain and regional eco-system with Joylette Portlock, President and CEO of Sustainable Pittsburgh. Ms. Portlock accepted the role of our Clean Energy Engagement and Collaboration table champion.

  • Timeline item 7 - complete

    October 12, 2023

    Meeting with Steve Mazza , President of EAS Carpenters

    As part of the Pittsburgh Principles workforce hub labor strategy, our office and Leah Rambo, Deputy Director from the Department of Labor , Womens Bureau met with Steve Mazza to discuss how to bridge the gap and open clear training and employment pathways between community based organizations ,workforce development training program intermediaries and the trade unions.

  • Timeline item 8 - complete

    October 16, 2023

    Meeting with PA Department of Labor Secretary Nancy Walker

    The City, in collaboration with Partner4work, provided a brief introduction and overview of the Pittsburgh Good Jobs principles and the Pit2Work pre-apprenticeship program cohort going on at the airport. Secretary Walker shared some of her office priorities of single parents, women, and supportive services included in Department of Labor projects.

  • Timeline item 9 - complete

    October 18, 2023

    Meeting with IUPAT District Council 57, Aaron Joseph, Communications & Political Specialist

    As part of the Pittsburgh Principles workforce hub labor strategy, our office and Leah Rambo from the Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau met with Aaron Joseph to fact find on how to bridge the gap between community-based organizations, workforce development training program intermediaries and the painter’s union. Aaron also shared with us, his ongoing relationship with PPS and CTE.

  • Timeline item 10 - complete

    October 19, 2023

    Local Authorities Table Convening

    The City engaged local authority leadership in a discussion about developing and committing to the “Pittsburgh’s Good Jobs Principles,” to ensure accountability on all projects receiving federal funding in the geographic footprint of the Pittsburgh Workforce Hub

  • Timeline item 11 - complete

    October 20, 2023

    Meeting with State and Local Officials The city in collaboration with Partner4work and the Department of Labor presented the Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles and solicited commitments and support of the Workforce Hub.

    Meeting with Todd Beckett and Greg Bernarding from Iron Workers Local No. 3 - This was our office’s initial meeting with the newly elected leader of the Local. Both Todd and Greg agreed in principle of the Regional Equity Agreement.
  • Timeline item 12 - complete

    November 6, 2023

    Meeting with the Philanthropy Table

    Our team met with the local Foundation community about providing support around the Pittsburgh Principles Framework.

    Marisol Valentin and Matt Barron are our Funders Table champions leading the efforts in collaboration with Partner4work and our office.

  • Timeline item 13 - complete

    November 8, 2023

    Meeting to discuss Pittsburgh’s CTE program and Labor, facilitated by Partner4Work and attended by Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su.

    Roundtable Discussion with FLOTUS Jill Biden, Rob Cherry, Mayor Ed Gainey, Darrin Kelly, and Acting Secretary Su at Mill19 in the Hazelwood Green.

    Pittsburgh Principles Signing with Acting Secretary Su - This gathering was the official public launch of the Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles and the initial commitment signing ceremony. Mayor Gainey and the Acting US Secretary of Labor, Julie Su provided congratulatory remarks and words of encouragement to codify the equity framework language with our key stakeholders in support of providing life-sustaining jobs in our region.

  • Timeline item 14 - complete

    November 30, 2023

    Meeting with Local Government and Quasi-Government Authorities

    The City was tasked with convening an engagement and collaboration workforce table strategy involving local quasi- government authority leadership and representative agency legal counsel to gain process and implementation support of the Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles.

  • Timeline item 15 - complete

    January 24, 2024

    January Regional Equity Agreement meeting

    A regional equity agreement is an agreement between regional and local stakeholders from the labor movement, business community, philanthropy, elected officials, educational institutions, and neighborhood organizations to ensure the public served by the stakeholders receive the fullest benefit of public projects, including economy and efficiency.

    The purpose of this monthly meeting is to touch base about ongoing work for the Regional Equity Agreement and steps necessary to make it successful.

  • Timeline item 16 - complete

    January 30, 2024

    CCAC Roundtable with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su

    Mayor Ed Gainey joined Secretary Cardona, Acting Secretary Su, and Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez at the Community College of Allegheny County for a roundtable discussion. The group discussed creating career pathways through partnerships across sectors of education and local government, with workforce leaders, community partners, and more.

  • Timeline item 17 - complete

    February 28, 2024

    February Regional Equity Agreement meeting

    The purpose of this monthly meeting is to touch base about ongoing work for the Regional Equity Agreement and steps necessary to make it successful.

  • Timeline item 18 - complete

    March 8, 2024

    Community Table: First Convening

    This is the first of many engagements with the community table. The City and Partner4work introduced the Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles framework and provided workforce training and private sector employment opportunities for participants to share with their constituent populations.

  • Timeline item 19 - complete

    March 26, 2024

    City Staff Participate in NAWBs Washington, D.C. Plenary Panel, ‘Invest in America: Building Pathways to the Middle Class’

    On March 26, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration hosted the plenary panel session featuring Pittsburgh leaders for the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) Forum event in Washington, D.C.

    The panel, entitled, “Invest in America: Building Pathways to the Middle Class,” was facilitated by Brittany Stich, Director of Investing in America's Workforce in the U.S. DOL, and featured Felicity Williams, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Mayor’s Office, Rob Cherry, CEO at Partner4Work, Darrin Kelly, President of Allegheny County-Fayette Labor Council, and Rachael Mauer, President of the German American Chamber of Commerce.

  • Timeline item 20 - complete

    March 27, 2024

    March Regional Equity Agreement meeting

    Partners met to discuss how they can support the Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles in their work.

  • Timeline item 21 - complete

    April 3, 2024

    Philanthropy Table Meeting:

    In April, the City convened philanthropic partners who are part of the Philanthropy Table to discuss: project updates, how partners can uphold Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles through grantmaking, and ecosystem coordination to support workforce development on projects funded by President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda.

    All organizations in attendance have agreed to uphold the Principles and to work with hub partners to build equitable pathways for disadvantaged workers into good jobs and careers.

  • Timeline item 22 - complete

    April 4, 2024

    Bridge to Equity: Workforce Development

    Bridge to Equity is a series of events focusing on how economic and social disparities in communities populated by people of color are jeopardizing various aspects of the region’s economy. The most recent event, Bridge to Equity: Workforce Development, was a panel discussion was co-hosted by the Pittsburgh Business Times, Vibrant Pittsburgh, and Goodwill Southwestern Pennsylvania on April 4.

    Felicity Williams, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Mayor’s Office, was one of the panelists alongside Anchor Institution, Partner4Work and the following Hub partners: Trade Institute of Pittsburgh and Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.

    Read more about the panel discussion from the Pittsburgh Business Times, linked here.

    Read a Q&A with Deputy Chief Williams from the Pittsburgh Business Times, linked here.

  • Timeline item 23 - complete

    April 24, 2024

    April Regional Equity Agreement meeting

    The purpose of this monthly meeting is to touch base about ongoing work for the Regional Equity Agreement and steps necessary to make it successful.

  • Timeline item 24 - complete

    May 15, 2024

    White House Senior Advisor Tom Perez Visited Pittsburgh

    Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez visited the Steel City in May to see the collaboration of federal, local and private sectors in progress.

    Manchester and the Hill District are experiencing support and improvements thanks to collaboration between federal and local government, the private sector, and the community.

    In the Hill District, the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is redeveloping Bedford Dwellings, one of the oldest public housing communities in the country. Also in the Hill District, the City’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure is using funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s RAISE grant to improve the public right of way. These improvements will include the reconstruction of intersections, street corridors, and city steps and the installation of traffic calming measures, sidewalks, and green infrastructure. The RAISE grant has been selected as a White House Workforce Hub Implementation project.

    The neighborhood of Manchester has been awarded a Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund a State Route 65 planning study. This study will assess the feasibility and analyze ways to reunite the Manchester and Chateau communities while ensuring the safety and connectivity of all State Route 65 corridor users. This grant is being leveraged with private and local investment in the Esplanade redevelopment, a mixed-use Northside project.

  • Timeline item 25 - complete

    May 16, 2024

    Community Table Meeting

    The community table is one of eight engagement and collaboration tables for the Pittsburgh Workforce Hub . These selected stakeholders assist in recruitment, outreach for direct employment and workforce development training opportunities through apprenticeship programs and initiatives. They also serve as an accountability arm for training providers and employers who signed on the Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles and /or the Regional Equity Agreement .

    • 2nd Community Table meeting to have cluster areas for discussion such as:

      • Building trust w/in marginalized populations.
      • How to sustain workforce development initiatives, and how to have consistent engagement and measurable results
      • Supportive services: how to support individuals and such, how to address language barriers, and addressing mental health issues
      • Supporting job retention, external accountability on the job once selected, and one stop shop employment resource

  • Timeline item 26 - complete

    May 22, 2024

    Regional Equity Stakeholder Briefing and Engagement

    This is a meeting to engage a group of Workforce Hub stakeholders that are necessary partners with Regional Equity Agreement signatories to operationalize it and to advance decision points and support needed in a few specific areas as we move this agreement to signature.

  • Timeline item 27 - complete

    June 5, 2024

    Philanthropy Table Meeting

  • Timeline item 28 - complete

    July 10, 2024

    Community Table Meeting

  • Timeline item 29 - complete

    July 25, 2024

    $14 million awarded in Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants

    As part of the Pittsburgh Workforce Hub, roughly $14 million was granted to the Pittsburgh Conservation Corps and PowerCorpsPHL to expand workforce programs around urban forestry and wood waste reduction, expanding tree canopy in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and keeping wood waste out of landfills. This grant also includes funds to leverage biochar in reducing lead pollution in Pittsburgh soils. Read more from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, linked here.

Commitments

Get Involved

Labor

Sign onto the Pittsburgh Principles and help build a diverse pipeline of apprentices for skilled union trades. Work to ensure jobs are accessible to and welcoming for all individuals in the workforce.

Employers

Help build your talent pipeline through Registered Apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships, on-the-job training, supporting classroom training, implementing job quality principles (Pittsburgh Principles), and partnering with the public workforce development system to ensure that your jobs are accessible and your employees have the support they need to thrive.

Communities

Help ensure the jobs developed with the Hub are accessible to your friends and neighbors. Join our

efforts to recruit members of your community to help ensure that they know about the career pathways being built through the Hub.

Government

Elected officials will provide guidance on workforce development program funding and introduce legislation that will remove barriers to participation for disadvantaged workers which includes data sharing among intermediary agency providers.


Philanthropies

Support efforts to grow and expand access to family-sustaining careers in Pittsburgh, including for underserved workers. Help us connect efforts to provide supportive services, like child care and transportation, to workers and employers participating in the work of the Hub.

Education Institutions and Systems

Scale business-driven training already in place and work with us to ensure that all training programs lead to success in the workplace and have clear business buy-in. Work with this initiative to expand access to programming for individuals facing systemic barriers to employment


Employment & Procurement Opportunities

Engage with us!