Penn hires Philadelphia residents to work as laboratory assistants to expand COVID-19 testing
Penn Medicine hired 50 new laboratory assistants through the University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative to strengthen testing capabilities and give nontraditional applicants access to STEM careers, Penn Medicine News reported. The Skills Initiative is a longstanding community workforce program connecting Philadelphians who are unemployed or underemployed to major employers, providing an opportunity for city residents to […]
Penn Medicine Teams with West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, Hires 50 Laboratory Assistants for COVID-19 Testing Efforts
PHILADELPHIA – Even as COVID-19 vaccine distribution ramps up in Philadelphia, the virus remains prevalent, and shoring up testing capabilities is a key way to protect local residents. Penn Medicine has tapped into a workforce in its own backyard to expand testing efforts in the area: Through the University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative […]
Mercy Philadelphia and Penn Medicine Partner with West Philadelphia Faith Community to Provide COVID-19 Vaccines
Philadelphia Campus will come together with a coalition of religious and community leaders from Southwest Philadelphia to hold a mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic for 500 parishioners from the local faith community on Saturday, February 13 at the Church of Christian Compassion. Appointments will be available to individuals in the phase 1b priority group outlined by […]
What can short-term credentialing do for economic mobility in West Philly?
These organizations with ties to the neighborhoods are putting the city to work, one person at a time. Unemployed and scrolling through her email, Dawn Huger came upon a message that she said “couldn’t have come at a better time.” Huger had been laid off from her job as a bus attendant with the School […]
Labor Market Report for February 9th, 2021
Every other week, we will be publishing labor market industry (LMI) data and important trends to consider in the development of an equitable economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. We are always looking for opportunities to learn, grow, and collaborate. Email wpsi@universitycity.org to learn more. The COVID-19 economy has changed both how and where […]
Labor Market Report for January 25th, 2021
Every other week, we will be publishing labor market industry (LMI) data and important trends to consider in the development of an equitable economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. We are always looking for opportunities to learn, grow, and collaborate. Email wpsi@universitycity.org to learn more. At the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, the calendar in our office […]
Four Seasons Total Landscaping Partnering With Local Organizations To Connect Philadelphians With Full-Time Jobs
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The landscaping company made famous as the site of a controversial election press conference is partnering with local organizations to help people get jobs. A jobs skills training event sponsored by Four Seasons Total Landscaping is designed to marry people with jobs that are available, and they’re also training those employees for […]
Looking for a job? This program may get you hired by Four Seasons Total Landscaping.
A new job training program will give some lucky Philadelphians the chance to land a possible dream job: a position at the famed Four Seasons Total Landscaping. The landscaping company made famous by a bizarre Rudy Giuliani news conference will help train jobless residents for landscaping careers under a program launched with the nonprofits University […]
WPSI trains Lab Assistants for new Penn Medicine labs
In November, WPSI launched a partnership with Penn Medicine to recruit and train Lab Assistants to fill an urgent need to expand COVID-19 testing capacity for the entire Philadelphia region through its molecular laboratory. The positions, starting at $18 an hour, do not administer COVID testing for patients; instead, they work with lab and instrument […]
WPSI and PIDC’s Navy Yard Workforce Development Initiatives Launch Collaborative Professional Development Program w/ Four Seasons Total Landscaping
University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) and PIDC’s Navy Yard Workforce Development Initiatives (NYWDI) are pleased to launch their first collaborative professional development program to train West and South Philadelphia residents for permanent, full-time, quality-wage careers. Four Seasons Total Landscaping is the first employer partner at the Navy Yard to participate in the program and it will […]
WPSI 2020 Year in Review
While 2020 was a turbulent year and required adjustments to how the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative operated, we were still able to have an impact. We forged new partnerships with Penn Medicine, Benefits Data Trust, and PIDC. We pivoted to virtual and hybrid trainings due to COVID-19. We expanded our alumni services. We made significant […]
The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative Launches First Virtual Training for EMTs in Partnership with Drexel
Starting today, West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) is launching a partnership with Drexel University to train aspiring Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam. Unlike the majority of Skills Initiative training programs, this cohort will serve all Philadelphia residents, regardless of zip code. This unique partnership blends virtual […]
