WPSI Grads Changing Their Lives as the Neighborhood Expands
University City is growing at an astonishing rate, and University City District is working to make sure to connect talented residents of our neighborhood with the companies driving the change through our West Philadelphia Skills Initiative. Meet three graduates of our program who are transforming their lives at the same time they transform the neighborhood.
WPSI Now Recruiting for Jobs with Penn Dental
Recruitment is now open for the next cohort with the West Philadelphia Skills Initaitive. We are seeking unemployed West Philadelphians for jobs within Reception, Clerk, and Instrument Sterilization at Penn Dental Medicine. Applicants must: Be a resident of 19104, 19131, 19139, 19143, or 19151 Possess a high school diploma or GED Be unemployed. Have professional experience […]
Looking Back at Five Years of the Skills Initiative
On Wednesday, October 5th, University City District celebrated five years of the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, which has transformed the lives of hundreds of previously unemployed West Philadelphia residents. This event was a special opportunity to look back on our graduates’ accomplishments and honor the vital contributions of our partners. The event featured remarks from […]
West Philadelphia Skills Initiative Five Year Retrospective
Three Skills Initiative participants and representatives from three University City institutions speak about the transformative power of University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative program. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzZSTa6-cZc&feature=youtu.be
University City District bulks up West Philadelphia jobs program
Philadelphia Business Journal By Natalie Kostelni Nearly six years after it established its West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, University City District has expanded the program into a new space and new areas. Read Full Article
Commentary: In University City, giving the jobless a chance
The Philadelphia Inquirer By Matt Bergheiser Imagine applying to 42 jobs in three months and not landing a single interview. Imagine what it feels like to realize that even jobs at the lowest rungs of the career ladder require online applications when you haven’t turned on a computer in years. Imagine being so desperate for […]
West Philly Skills Initiative Continues To Make A Significant Difference
University City Review By Nicole Contosta Today, West Philadelphia employs over 75,000 people. When the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) formed in 2010, it employed 72,000 people. Conversely, 31 percent of West Philadelphia lived below the poverty line. And 45 percent of its households had incomes below $25,000 a year. West Philadelphia’s unemployment rate stood […]
Fed Chair Janet Yellen Visits with the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative
On June 6th, 2016, Janet Yellen, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and Patrick Harker, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, paid a visit to the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative to learn more about the WPSI program. During their visit, Chair Yellen and Mr. […]
Janet Yellen Speech Indicates Fed Will Rethink Interest-Rate Plans
The New York Times By Binyamin Appelbaum The Fed entered the year predicting quarterly rate increases, only to back away from a first increase in March when the economy showed unexpected signs of weakness. Fed officials in recent weeks insisted they were thinking about raising rates in June. Now it seems that too has passed. […]
Fed’s Yellen Talks About Labor Market, Job Training
Bloomberg By Staff Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen participates in a roundtable discussion about the labor market and job training at the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative. (Source: Bloomberg) Watch Full Video
WPSI is Now Recruiting Carpentry Technicians
Participants of this program will: Learn the carpentry trade from master craftsmen Earn a generous performance-based wage stipend Build cutting-edge job connection strategies that will help you connect to a career you will love Successful applicants should: Have experience and/or education in the carpentry/construction field. Have a high school diploma or GED by June 27th. […]
UCD Selected as Win-Win Challenge Grant Recipient by Job Opportunity Investment Network
The Job Opportunity Investment Network (JOIN) has selected University City District (UCD) to receive a $300,000 two-year implementation grant through its Win-Win Challenge. JOIN, a funders collaborative led by United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ), works to increase the number of Greater Philadelphians earning a family-sustaining wage. The Win-Win Challenge was […]