Harrisburg — April 3, 2017 — Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia) said that nearly $1 million in PAsmart Initiative Grants were awarded to various pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs in Philadelphia.

“These grants are incredibly important in our community because they train well-qualified candidates for long-term family sustaining jobs,” Tartaglione said. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry awarded the grants through Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs).

The grant recipients in Philadelphia include:

  • District 1199c – $85,000 pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship grant and $50,000 capacity building grant;
  • International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local #14 – $75,000 pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship grant;
  • International Association of Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 19 – $62,000 pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship grant and $45,495 capacity building grant;
  • International Union of Operating Engineers Local 542 – $45,495 capacity building grant;
  • JEVS Human Services – $99,956.60 pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship grant and $49,996 building capacity grant;
  • Philadelphia Carpenters JATC – $50,000 capacity building grant.

Tartaglione has been working to ensure that Pennsylvanians have access to quality jobs and that workers are fairly compensated.  The senator is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 1044 which would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024.

“There is nothing more important to me than my community – and a skilled, well qualified workforce employed in quality jobs helps create a stable, prosperous community,” Tartaglione said. 

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