RESOURCES

Job Training for Beaver County (www.jtbc.org )

PA CareerLink (https://www.pacareerlink.pa.gov)

PA Department of Labor & Industry (www.dli.pa.gov )

Southwest Corner Workforce Development Board (www.southwestcornerwdb.com)

US Department of Labor (www.dol.gov)

Washington Greene County Job Training Agency, Inc. (www.washingtongreene.org)

Southwest Corner County Governments

Greene County (www.co.greene.pa.us)

Washington County (www.washingtoncopa.gov)

Beaver County ( www.beavercountypa.gov )

Support Services

Commute Info (www.commuteinfo.org) helps job seekers and employers in southwestern PA find alternatives to getting to work, other than driving alone. Our region includes 10 counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland. The commuter can be going to school or to work and must have at least one end of their commute within the 10 county area.

Literacy Council of Southwestern PA The purpose of the Literacy Council is to promote literacy by teaching low‐level & non‐reading adults basic literacy skills using trained tutors & by generating community awareness & support. (http://www.lcswpa.org)

Freedom Transit( www.freedom-transit.org ) The mission of Freedom Transit is to promote and provide high quality, cost-effective transportation to the citizens of Washington County and surrounding areas as appropriate, especially older adults, persons with disabilities, veterans, and economically disadvantaged individuals, including those on Medical Assistance.

Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority  ( www.mmvta.com )The mission of MMVTA is to provide transit services for its member municipalities and help revitalize the Mid Mon Valley. This is a great resource for transportation assistance.

PA Unemployment Compensation Benefits ( www.uc.pa.gov ) Visit the PA Unemployment Compensation’s website to get the most up to date information or to file for UC benefits.  Click HERE to get some quick information on UC hours or operation, email, etc.

Resume and Employment Guide for People with Disabilities (www.resumebuilder.com) This website can help individuals with disabilities create an impactful resume that can highlight their skills and value to potential employers. This guide includes important insight such as laws that protect their rights, workplace discrimination, and harassment to ensure they receive a fair chance at achieving their career goal.

SOUTHWEST CORNER HIGH PRIORITY OCCUPATION LIST

Pennsylvania’s workforce development strategy targets education and training dollars to High Priority Occupations: job categories that are in demand by employers, have higher skill needs and are most likely to provide family-sustaining wages. (High Priority Occupations in the Southwest Corner)

PA Career Education Work Standards
Pennsylvania’s economic future depends on having a well-educated and skilled workforce. No student should leave secondary education without a solid foundation in Career Education and Work. It is the rapidly changing workplace and the demand for continuous learning and innovation on the part of the workers that drive the need to establish academic standards in Career Education and Work. Through a comprehensive approach, Career Education and Work Standards complement all disciplines and other academic standards. If Pennsylvania’s students are to succeed in the workplace, there are certain skills that they need to obtain prior to graduation from high school. These skills have been identified in the Career Education and Work Standards, but it is up to individual school districts to decide how they are to be taught. Districts can implement integration strategies within existing disciplines or can implement stand-alone courses to specifically address these standards.     www.pacareerstandards.com   Click on Pennsylvania Department of Education to learn more.
                       
PHEAA is an organization specializing in making college affordable, offering both loans and assistance in finding out what you need to make your college experience rich and rewarding. www.pheaa.org

Education Planner
Whether you are a high school student deciding what you want to be, or a parent figuring out how to pay for college, this is your one-stop career and college planning site.   www.educationplanner.org

Teachers Domain     Teachers’ Domain is a free digital media service for educational use from public broadcasting and its partners. You’ll find thousands of media resources, support materials, and tools for classroom lessons, individualized learning programs, and teacher professional learning communities.  http://www.teachersdomain.org/

ERIC – the Education Resources Information Center – is an online digital library of education research and information. ERIC is sponsored by theInstitute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of  Education. ERIC provides ready access to education literature to support  the use of educational research and information to improve practice in  learning, teaching, educational decision-making, and research.www.eric.ed.gov

TG’s Adventures In Education (AIE™) is a public-service website developed to help students plan and complete their journey through higher education. By providing free resources to students, parents, counselors, and educators, AIE encourages individuals to discover and pursue educational opportunities. AIE promotes a better tomorrow by preparing students and families for the adventure today.www.aie.org

CareerOneStop  Career information for students and career advisors.

EducatorLabs is comprised of school librarians and media/market research specialists who work as curators and conservators of the scholastic web.  They collate high-quality digital resources that complement and enhance modern curricula with information for the benefit of: educators and instructors; parents; students; study groups; & researchers.

College Degrees Online is a website with a large database of online degree programs.  Search programs in Pennsylvania, as well as those offered all over the country.  This website will link you to  financial aide information, federal resources and more.  Visit the Teaching Degrees website to access an abundance of information specific to online teaching degrees.

 

Pennsylvania’s workforce development strategy targets education and training dollars to High Priority Occupations: job categories that are in demand by employers, have higher skill needs and are most likely to provide family-sustaining wages.  2022 WDA HPO Lists

Additional information on HPOs in Pennsylvania CLICK HERE

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) (www.aarp.org/working_options) offers a guide for older workers with tips including resume writing and overcoming employment barriers faced by mature workers. It also lists places to acquire new job skills and find job opportunities.

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging (www.aging.pa.gov) offers a wide range of information on older individuals and employment services. Many of the agencies have employment programs, job banks and career fairs.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging, Inc. (www.swpa-aaa.org) develops and manages the overall service system for the older adults of Fayette, Greene, and Washington counties.

Social Security Online – www.ssa.gov

There are numerous stereotypes about older workers that simply aren’t true. Here are some of those myths — along with the reality.

• • Myth: Older workers can’t or won’t learn new skills.
    Reality: Those over 50 are proving their ability to learn new skills by becoming the fastest growing group of Internet users and career-changers in their 40s and 50s are taking courses to enhance their skills.

• • Myth: Older workers don’t stay on the job long.
    Reality: Workers between 45 and 54 stayed on the job twice as long as those 25 to 34, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• • Myth: Older workers take more sick days than younger workers.
    Reality: Attendance records are actually better for older workers than for younger ones.

• • Myth: Older workers aren’t flexible or adaptable.
    Reality: Because they’ve seen many approaches fail in the workplace, they are more likely to question change. But they can accept new approaches as well as younger workers can as long as the rationale is explained.

• • Myth: Older workers are more expensive.
    Reality: The costs of more vacation time and pensions are often outweighed by low turnover among older workers and the fact that higher turnover among other groups translates into recruiting, hiring,  and training expenses.