Today, the Wolf Administration joined the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC to give an address highlighting Governor Tom Wolf’s commitment to workforce and economic development and new opportunities to make major investments in Pennsylvania families, businesses and communities.
“I’ve always recognized the importance of our business industry to the continued growth of our commonwealth,” said Gov. Wolf. “That’s why I’ve made it a priority over the past seven and a half years to invest in our commonwealth’s businesses. As we look to the future, we have an opportunity before us to build on the work we’ve done over the past seven years and make a major new investment in our economy and in Pennsylvanians. That’s exactly what I want to do in this year’s budget: build on our successes in order to pave the way to a prosperous future for all Pennsylvanians. And right now, we have the money to do it.”
“Technology is changing fast, and the nature of work is changing right along with it. We need to take a strategic, forward-looking approach to workforce development to ensure that today’s students and workers have the skills they need for tomorrow’s jobs – and that’s exactly what the administration, under the leadership of Governor Wolf, has done,” said Department of Community and Economic Development Acting Secretary Neil Weaver.
The Wolf Administration has invested $116 million in science, computer science and technical education, including $80 million in the innovative PAsmart program, which Gov. Wolf launched in 2018, and $36 million in apprenticeships and workforce training.
In 2017, Gov. Wolf launched the Training-to-Career program as part of his Manufacturing PA Initiative, and has since funded 76 projects with more than $16.6 million. The Training-to-Career program supports businesses by building a pipeline of workers equipped with the skills these businesses need to grow and thrive while giving Pennsylvania students advanced skills and a career pathway.
The Wolf Administration has also spurred economic growth by investing directly in businesses growing or relocating in Pennsylvania through the work of the Governor’s Action Team (GAT). In the 2020-21 Fiscal Year, GAT completed 58 projects and invested $82.5 million into business growth in Pennsylvania. In turn, those projects spurred over $3.8 billion in private investment, created nearly 10,000 new jobs and retained more than 33,000 existing jobs.
Last week, Gov. Wolf announced that Pennsylvania has collected record revenues for the 2021-22 Fiscal Year – more than $4.9 billion above estimate. Based on the latest revenue estimates, even if the governor’s proposed budget were implemented in its entirety, Pennsylvania would still have a multi-billion dollar General Fund balance at the end of 2022-23.
Gov. Wolf’s budget …….