Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board Endorses Proposal To Produce Higher Quality, Better Prepared Workers

                               Harrisburg, PA (CompNewsNetwork) - The Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board has accepted a resolution endorsing high school graduation requirements that will ensure students are better prepared for college or careers.
 
“Dedicated and effective partnerships among employers, government, academic institutions and parents can ensure that our youth have the educational opportunities they deserve in order to pursue the career or postsecondary paths of their choosing,” acting Secretary of Labor & Industry Sandi Vito said. “By adopting this resolution, the Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board affirms its commitment to improve our current workforce by laying a solid foundation for its future.”
 
The State Board of Education last month adopted proposed regulations to implement statewide high school graduation requirements, starting with the Class of 2014, to ensure that all high school graduates are ready for college and work. The proposal – which stems from recommendations made by the Governor’s Commission on College and Career Success – would require students to demonstrate that they have mastered the skills to succeed in English, math, science, and social studies. Students would have multiple ways to prove that they meet the standards, including new graduation competency assessments that would be given as soon as a student finishes a course.
 
“It is our responsibility to ensure that the Pennsylvania high school diploma is a ticket to success,” state Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak said. “This endorsement from the Workforce Investment Board reinforces the importance of having a meaningful high school diploma to the employers of Pennsylvania.”
 
The PA Workforce Investment Board is Governor Rendell’s principal workforce-development policy advisory entity. The board, whose members are appointed by the Governor and come from a diverse array of business executives, labor leaders, education, economic-development practitioners and elected officials, helps to ensure that the commonwealth’s workforce development system is in step with both employers’ and the workforce’s needs.
 
“This resolution is another step in the right direction for our efforts to build a better workforce for Pennsylvania and meet the challenges we face in the global economy,” said David Malone, Workforce Investment Board chair. “Employers will have the benefit of knowing that the young people entering the workforce are truly prepared for work, and career seekers will know that they have the core skills necessary to succeed.”
 
For more information about workforce development in Pennsylvania, visit: www.paworkforce.state.pa.us and click, “Governor Rendell’s Strategy for Building a Skilled Workforce.”