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Wayne County, located in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania, covers 763 square miles with a population density of 65.4 persons per square mile. The county adjoins three metro areas, and is almost exactly midway along the Boston – Washington, DC axis. Superb access to the northeast transportation network allows products and services to reach 50 million people within 1/2 day drive.
Wayne County is one of four Pocono Counties, joining Carbon, Monroe, and Pike Counties in possessing all the natural beauty associated with the Pocono Mountains. The Counties typically work together to address various needs, share agencies, promote tourism jointly, and address political concerns.
Our four-season climate brings ever-changing vistas and allows for year-round enjoyment of our natural beauty. Our most important natural feature is water. Wayne County has more bodies of water than any other county in Pennsylvania. The two largest water areas are the Delaware River and Lake Wallenpaupack, which we share with neighboring Pike County. Both offer the best of boating, camping, wildlife observation, and downright relaxation.
Our proximity to metro areas, yet comparable lower cost of living, and outstanding quality of life, account for Wayne County’s population growth of 19.5% during the last census period. In fact Wayne, Monroe and Pike together expanded at a rate over 12 times that of the State as a whole. This growth leads to an increasing labor supply with a substantial cost advantage to employers. Wayne and Pike Counties Targeted Industry Clusters For Wayne and Pike Counties to be competitive in the global economy, we must connect workforce development to the demands of business and industry. An industry cluster is a group of industries that are closely linked by common product markets, labor pools, similar technologies, supplier chains, and/or other economic ties. By working with businesses within the industry clusters, we can combine training needs for multiple firms with similar skill needs and help drive a market-based approach to workforce development. We are working to align education and training institutions with employer and employee needs. Education, workforce, and economic development must be interconnected to ensure that workers have the skills businesses need to be competitive and have the ability to obtain education to compete for higher wage jobs and career advancement. Pike and Wayne Counties are targeted for growth from 2009-2014 in the following industry clusters: Advanced Materials and Diversified Manufacturing, Building and Construction, Business and Financial Services, Healthcare, Logistics and Transportation and Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation. Advanced Materials and Diversified Manufacturing (AMDM) involves a production process that utilizes specific materials and equipment by a workforce with advanced skills in the area of focus. With advances in science and the development of new materials, advanced materials manufacturing often requires specific environments and extensive research and development processes in addition to the actual manufacturing of the final product. There are many industries included with the AMDM cluster, they include: Plastics, chemical and metal manufacturing Commercial printing Textile, iron and steel mills Machine shops The workforce within these industries typically set-up and/or operate machinery that makes various products by consumers and businesses. Jobs within these industries include high-paying positions such as: Welders Machinists Electrical Engineers Tool & die makers Mechanical Engineers In many of these jobs, workers must be able to perform physical activities for long periods of time. Traditionally, AMDM jobs need on-the-job training but technological advancements have created a new manufacturing world, where higher skills and postsecondary education are required. Building and Construction involves the employment of workers who build homes, office buildings, schools, roads and bridges. Industries included in this cluster are: Electrical contracting Highway, street and bridge construction Commercial Construction Plumbing and HVAC contracting Extraction Jobs within these industries include: Carpenters Electricians Extraction workers Plumbers/pipe fitters HVAC mechanics Roofers Carpet installers Managers, secretaries, first line supervisors Accountants, auditors The majority of the work is performed outside and the changing seasons result in longer work hours in the spring, summer, and fall. Many individuals find alternative work through the winter, but some companies do offer year-round work. There is an overlap with green jobs in this cluster, including jobs to support weatherization programs and renewable energy installation, as well as jobs connected to the Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction industry. Business and Financial Services includes all the services a company needs to operate and sustain business. Both are targeted towards the business world enabling more efficient operations and the ability of companies to better serve their stakeholders and meet organizational goals. Financial Services deals specifically with Finance, Banking, Credit, and Insurance specializations. The cluster includes a wide range of support services available to today’s businesses. Business and Financial Services is comprised of a very diverse group of workers, ranging from entry-level positions to management. Individuals could be running a company, managing finances, protecting your legal rights, trading stocks or selling insurance. Industries in this cluster include: Banking and credit institutions Insurance carriers and brokers Personal and professional business services Advertising Marketing Jobs within these industries include: Bank tellers Accountants and auditors Lawyers and insurance agents Insurance sales agents Loan officers Secretaries Janitors Workers in these occupations often have regular daylight shifts and work in an office environment. In addition, many workers will need some basic computer skills to perform their daily functions. Healthcare relates to the well-being of the population and those social services provided. Industries within this cluster include: Hospitals Nursing homes Physicians’ offices and pharmacies Jobs in this cluster include: Nurses Social workers Pharmacists Physicians Nursing Aides Emergency Medical Technicians Medical Laboratory Technicians Dental Hygienists Radiological Technicians Physical Therapists Medical Records Technicians Respiratory Therapists Healthcare workers provide medical diagnoses and basic care for sick and injured people. Although most interact directly with patients, some health care technicians perform tasks behind the scenes. Logistics and Transportation includes industries that are involved in the storage, transportation and distribution of the goods we use in every day life. Workers in this cluster may be the pilot of a plane, the forklift driver who stacks pallets in a warehouse or performs logistical analysis to find the most efficient route to shop products. Industries include: General warehousing and storage Couriers General freight trucking Specialized trucking Railroads Air traffic control Jobs in this cluster include: Laborers Truck drivers Packers Packagers Flight attendants Management analysts Maintenance and repair workers Customer services representatives Nearly one out of every three workers in logistics and transportation is a truck driver, including heavy truck, tractor-trailer, light truck or route sales driver.
Hospitality, Tourism, & Recreation plays a key role in Pike and Wayne Counties. Pennsylvania continues to be a popular tourist destination, making Hospitality, Tourism and Recreation a career choice with short and long term variety and stability. Working in this career field, serving a specific clientele as social director or travel guide, organizing events as a meeting planner, or managing a hotel or bed-and-breakfast establishment, are just a few of the numerous options in this area. Industries within this cluster include: Resorts Hotels Tourist attractions Parks Jobs in this cluster include: Chefs and head cooks Landscaping and grounds keeping workers Food preparation workers Lodging Managers Recreation workers Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks General and operations managers Workers within the Hospitality, Tourism, & Recreation industry can choose from a variety of jobs with various work hours. Some positions may be involved with directly working with guests, while others can be behind the scenes operations. Work hours can vary depending upon peak season visitation and also hours of operation at the organization. References: PA CareerLink Lehigh Valley Job & Labor Market Outlook and the Pennsylvania Career Guide.
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