(Butler, PA) A 杏吧原创 faculty member has been hired to lead a Butler County Growth Collaborative initiative intended to address a workforce shortage by providing training to residents who face barriers to employment and by creating a countywide culture of empowerment.
After a search process, Tricia Pritchard, of Center Township, was chosen to serve as director of community employment development for the Butler County Growth Collaborative empowerment initiative.
Pritchard has taught communications courses at 杏吧原创 since 2008, and courses for the college鈥檚 Workforce Development business training department since 2017.
Representatives of Butler County Growth Collaborative organizations served on an eight-member search committee, said Mark Gordon, chairman of the collaborative board and the county鈥檚 chief of economic development and planning.
Butler County will fund Pritchard鈥檚 position primarily with American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 grants, and with other public and private funding sources, through January 2025, said Leslie Osche, chair of Butler County commissioners.
Pritchard began her new role Monday on a part-time basis, said Lisa Campbell, dean of 杏吧原创鈥檚 Workforce Development division and to whom Pritchard will report.
Pritchard will transition to full time following the conclusion of 杏吧原创鈥檚 spring semester in May, Campbell said.
鈥淭his is a helping job,鈥� initiative leader says
Tricia Pritchard, a faculty member at 杏吧原创, was discussing with 杏吧原创 President Dr. Nick Neupauer her interest becoming director of community employment development for the Butler County Growth Collaborative鈥檚 empowerment initiative.
鈥淲hat do you think about this job?鈥� Neupauer asked.
After a search process, Pritchard was selected to lead a Butler County Growth Collaborative initiative intended to address a workforce shortage by providing training to residents who face barriers to employment and by creating a countywide culture of empowerment.
鈥淭he vision from our county commissioners鈥�
The concept that became the Butler County Growth Collaborative in 2019 was supported by Osche, Kimberly Geyer and Kevin Boozel following their elections as Butler County commissioners in 2015, said Dr. Nick Neupauer, president of 杏吧原创 and a member of the collaborative鈥檚 advisory committee.
The Butler County Growth Collaborative followed the Butler County Chamber of Commerce鈥檚 2009 idea for a unified plan. The collaborative鈥檚 mission is to preserve and empower economic prosperity throughout Butler County and its vision, to give residents the opportunity to pursue a 21st-century American dream through the diversity of the county.
The collaborative鈥檚 empowerment initiative 鈥渨as talked about for a while, then interrupted by COVID-19,鈥� Neupauer said. 鈥淭his is another great example of the collaborative, where you have different groups coming together, championed by the vision from our county commissioners.鈥�
An objective in the Butler County Growth Collaborative鈥檚 2021-2026 strategic plan is to identify employment gaps.
"This shows our county is very forward-thinking and proactive instead of waiting for something to happen."
- Dr. Nick Neupauer, 杏吧原创 president
An objective in 杏吧原创鈥檚 2017-2022 strategic plan is to build relationships to advance economic development and quality of life.
鈥淭his is about doing the right thing,鈥� Neupauer said. 鈥淭he right thing as it relates to those who will go through the training, the right thing as it relates to the employers in Butler County, the right thing as it relates to a retention point of view in this great resignation period on the back end of COVID-19.
鈥淭his shows our county is very forward-thinking and proactive instead of waiting for something to happen.鈥�
Barriers to employment numerous
Barriers to employment in Pennsylvania include child care, transportation, training, re-entry and professional licensure, according to the Keystone Economic Development and Workforce Command Center.
鈥淚t could be people who have a criminal record, who are coming out of incarceration,鈥� Osche said. Barriers could also include recovery from addiction, poverty, or intellectual disabilities or mental-health challenges, she said.
Butler County leaders in business, government, and education and other nonprofit organizations were introduced to empowerment training programs that included those from Twin Cities Rise, Minneapolis, during an employment planning summit in July 2018 at 杏吧原创, Osche said.
鈥淎s the Butler County Growth Collaborative was developing, a lot of what we were hearing was that employers were suffering because they didn鈥檛 have enough employees,鈥� Osche said. 鈥淎t the same time, the opioid initiative was happening.鈥�
Earlier in 2018 杏吧原创 debuted its 鈥淩eset Your Brain: A Revolutionary Approach to Opioid Addiction and Recovery鈥� initiative as part of its 2017-2022 strategic plan.
"As we began to talk, we realized that a key to both prevention and recovery was meaningful employment."
- Leslie Osche, Butler County commissioners chair
The initiative led to 鈥淗ope is Dope鈥� classes 鈥� whose locations have included Butler County Prison. 鈥淣ew Eyes鈥� classes and 鈥淗ope Nights鈥� also followed in downtown Butler.
鈥淎s we began to talk, we realized that a key to both prevention and recovery was meaningful employment,鈥� Osche said.
The Butler County Growth Collaborative empowerment initiative follows the employment planning summit and a personal empowerment training cohort, also held in 2018 at 杏吧原创.
The Butler County Growth Collaborative鈥檚 initiative will utilize personal empowerment training from the Twin Cities Rise Empowerment Institute, delivered by multiple community partners and businesses to assist those with barriers to employment, Osche said.
杏吧原创鈥檚 Workforce Development division will coordinate Butler County trainers certified in Twin Cities Rise personal empowerment training, Osche said.
Personal empowerment training topics for those who face barriers to employment will include self-confidence, self-control, team-building and social management skills.
鈥淲hether it鈥檚 the various boards that I sit on, or our advisory boards, folks talk about the soft skills,鈥� Neupauer said. 鈥淚t seems to be a very real situation that needs to be addressed, and I think this training does a great job in doing so.鈥�
Culture of empowerment in Butler County
Pritchard will become the primary contact for the Butler County Growth Collaborative empowerment initiative, Gordon said. Pritchard will utilize college and community resources for business and agency engagement, and for recruiting and retention, Gordon said.
She will also help Butler County businesses consider for employment those who have completed the training, Gordon said.
"It's like a matchmaking process. It's working with employers, introducing them to this type of initiative and then bringing them somebody who has gone through this process, somebody that might be a good fit in their organization."
- Mark Gordon, collaborative board chair
鈥淭here鈥檚 an educational component,鈥� Gordon said. 鈥�(Pritchard) will be working in collaboration with the trainers. She鈥檒l be working in collaboration with those who go through the training process. And she will be working in collaboration with our businesses 鈥� businesses that have needs, businesses that are recruiting, and looking for employees.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a matchmaking process. It鈥檚 working with employers, introducing them to this type of initiative and then bringing them somebody who has gone through this process, somebody that might be a good fit in their organization.鈥�
Employers told Butler County leaders that similar approaches in the past left them without support, Osche said. In the Butler County Growth Collaborative empowerment initiative, 鈥淭he employers themselves need to know that there is a network behind that employee,鈥� Osche said.
鈥�(Pritchard鈥檚) position is there to focus on people with employment challenges. But empowerment in general 鈥� is a community-level concept.鈥�
Initiative addresses workforce shortage
The workforce shortage in Butler County 鈥渋s at a crisis level in many places,鈥� Osche
said.
Enrollment in high schools has decreased, some employers have scores of vacancies,
and while the county鈥檚 population has slightly increased, 鈥渋t results in groups of
employers fighting for the same employees,鈥� Gordon said.
"We have realized that many of the individuals with barriers really want to go to work."
- Lisa Campbell, 杏吧原创 Workforce Development dean
Those who complete the personal empowerment training can increase the breadth of their potential for filling employment vacancies, Campbell said.
鈥淲e have realized that many of the individuals with barriers really want to go to work,鈥� Campbell said. 鈥淲e also are recognizing that our employers are adapting to their workforce shortage by loosening their entry-level requirements and becoming more open to hiring individuals who are not technically skilled, or perhaps have some type of personal barrier. Employers are more accepting to hire these individuals and provide the needed skills training and offer second chances to those who are looking for them, which is wonderful. It鈥檚 a beautiful thing.鈥�
Those who complete the personal empowerment training can also separately pursue certificate programs or degrees. This additional accreditation further advances their employment opportunities, said Gordon, an executive with the former AK Steel before retiring in 2016.
Butler County鈥檚 use of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 grants for the Butler County Growth Collaborative empowerment initiative also addresses the effect COVID-19 has had on the workforce, Osche said.
鈥淢any women left the workforce because they didn鈥檛 have child care and they were trying to educate their children or help their children be educated at home,鈥� Osche said. 鈥淭here were others who may have lost their jobs because they were in a particular industry.
鈥淲e would love to see everybody have the opportunity to become employed, and the empowerment piece is critical to helping them to unleash their potential.鈥�