New funding announced for apprentice and pre-apprenticeship program to fix workforce shortages

HARRISBURG (KDKA) - New funding was announced Thursday for the Finishing Trades Institute of Western Pennsylvania to expand apprenticeship opportunities.

The new funding is part of Gov. Josh Shapiro's fiscal budget for the first year of his administration. The grants are designed to shore up the shortages in the state's workforce. 

The state is currently investing nearly $24 million toward apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. The hope is that a new connection will be made between schools and the workforce that will provide students with livable wages while providing businesses with the talent they need.

"In today's society, we're starting to see a different change, a change in the landscape, where we're looking at our educational community and we're looking at our apprenticeship model on how we can build a model and a pathway that our youth can walk into and get a family-sustaining wage," said Dan Kuba, the Department of Labor and Industry's deputy secretary for workforce development. 

There's also a focus on expanding vo-tech schools and bringing technical education back into the classroom.