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Workforce Investment Board NWPA WIB

The Workforce Investment Act or WIA was signed into law in 1998, establishing systems that include state and local workforce investment boards as well as creating one-stop delivery systems, known in Pennsylvania as PA CareerLinks. Based upon this legislation, the State of Pennsylvania established a state Workforce Investment Board (WIB). There are 23 workforce investment areas in the state operated by local workforce investment boards, known as LWIBs. The Northwest Pennsylvania LWIB (NWPA WIB), serves a workforce investment area including Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Venango, and Warren counties and is a membership consortium made up of business executives, community leaders and elected officials appointed by the Board of Commissioners and Chief Local Elected Officials (CLEOs). The NWPA WIB acts as both the planning council for the region on areas of workforce development and as the Board of Directors for the local workforce investment area. The purpose of the NWPA WIB is to focus on strategic planning, policy development, oversight of the system, and establishment of priorities for all workforce development funds.

For more information contact:

Michele A. Zieziula, CEO

Northwest Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board
Regional Center for Workforce Excellence
764 Bessemer Street, Suite 102
Meadville, PA 16335
(814) 333-1286
Fax: (814) 333-1754

www.nwpawib.org

WEDnetPA

The Workforce and Economic Development Network of Pennsylvania (WEDnetPA) was created to make companies across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania more competitive by updating and improving the skills of their employees to meet specific company needs.

WEDnetPA is an alliance of a variety of educational providers across Pennsylvania including Pennsylvania's 14 State System universities, Pennsylvania's 14 community colleges and other educational providers that acts as the delivery mechanism for the Commonwealth's Guaranteed Free Training (GFT) program. Each provider/WEDnetPA partner serves as the point of contact for businesses accessing GFT funds.

Through the GFT Program, qualified in-state businesses and out-of-state companies relocating to the economic-friendly business climate of Pennsylvania can access funding for a wide range of training (categorized as either Basic Skills Training or Information Technology Training).

Contact one of our local partners for more information:

University of Pittsburgh-Bradford
Ann Robinson
Director, Business Resource Center
Bradford, PA (814) 362-0255
pitt@wednetpa.com

Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Juanice F. Vega
Director, Continuing Education
Clarion, PA (814) 393-2227 x 1892
clarion@wednetpa.com

Training Providers

Training provider choices range from the Higher Education Council, Jamestown Community College and the Gannon MBA program all offered right here in Warren to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Erie Institute of Technology, PMI, and Edinboro University. Education and training programs for incumbent workers as well as for dislocated workers are available and may be subsidized by funding provided by the Northwest Workforce Investment Board. Warren County believes in training and we stand ready to fill your educational needs.

Warren Forest Higher Education Council offers academic programming to meet the educational needs of the residents of Warren and Forest Counties in northwestern Pennsylvania.

A comprehensive array of post-secondary educational opportunities are available to residents. As a non-profit organization, supported with grant funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Council identifies, coordinates, and implements the educational and employment training needs of the community. The operation allows Warren County to have access to quality, established programs from colleges and universities located anywhere.

The Council houses two state-of-the-art computer labs with internet access, classrooms, audio/visual equipment, distance education, and teleconferencing equipment. The Council assists colleges and universities with program identification and promotion. Residents have access to professional academic and career counseling, as well as scholarship assistance.

Warren Forest Higher Education Council
College and University Center
Gannon University MBA program
Ed2Go
Curwen Building - 2nd Floor
185 Hospital Drive
Warren, PA 16365
Phone: (814) 723-3222

http://www.hi-ed.org/

JCC - Warren Center
589 Hospital Drive, Suite #F
Warren, PA 16365
Phone: (814) 723-3577

http://www.sunyjcc.edu/warren

Venango Technology Center
LPN classes
814-723-3222 X 16 or
814-677-3097 X 207
email: pfry@vtc1.org

Edinboro University
814-732-1420 or
866-757-2527
www.edinboro.edu/

Transport Tech
CDL classes
877-370-7591
www.gotransporttech.com/

Wlkes University

Performance Learning Systems
866-757-2527

www.plsweb.com

P.A.C.E.
http://www.houghton.edu/pace/

        University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
        814-362-5078 or
        800-872-1787
        www.upb.pitt.edu

        Erie Institute of Technology
        http://www.erieit.edu/