“With PAsmart, Pennsylvania will have the most prepared and talented workforce in the country, which will help businesses succeed, grow the middle class, and strengthen the economy for everyone,” said Governor Wolf. “We are partnering with private industry and schools to strategically invest in science and technology education, expand apprenticeships and increase on-the-job training for good careers.”

PAsmart is built on recommendations of Governor Wolf’s Middle Class Task Force, comprised of business, labor, education, and workforce development leaders. The task force concluded there are jobs without trained people to fill them and some workers need new skills, but a four-year degree is not for everyone and a one-size fits-all approach will not work.

In response to the task force’s findings, the governor secured $30 million to strategically invest in education and workforce development with competitive grants to enhance the skills of Pennsylvania workers. The Pennsylvania Workforce Development Board, the governor’s private sector policy advisor, provided recommendations and approved the framework for the funding priorities.

The competitive grants will expand classroom instruction and professional development in the fast-growing fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and computer science (CS), as well as training for in-demand careers, emerging industries, and underserved populations.

Read the full announcement via governor.pa.gov. You can see an overview of the grant opportunities on the Remake Learning calendar.