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All Wayne County businesses will receive their red envelope in the mail the week of August 3rd to learn about Workforce Wayne and sign up to support the organization’s mission of a 21st century workforce development system. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Via e-mail
For more information contact:
Jennifer Porter
Director of Workforce Initiatives
Workforce Wayne
570-253-5334
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August 3, 2009
Workforce Wayne’s Red Letter Day
NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA – Coming on the heels of receiving its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit status a full four months ahead of schedule, Workforce Wayne is reaching out to the business community in Wayne County this week with Red Letter Day. All Wayne County businesses will receive their red envelope in the mail to learn about Workforce Wayne and sign up to support the organization’s mission of a 21st century workforce development system. The goal of Red Letter Day is to ensure Workforce Wayne’s viability in 2010 and beyond. December 31, 2009, is the completion of Workforce Wayne’s current Wall Street West grant which has greatly accelerated work in the last year, but sustainability is the top priority.
“We couldn’t be happier to have achieved our nonprofit status so quickly. This now means that now all financial contributions are tax-deductible for businesses and individuals,” noted Workforce Wayne’s Director of Workforce Initiatives, Jennifer Porter.
The idea for the red envelope campaign came from members of the Board a while back. “The thought was that the red envelopes would stand out. We hope to grab people’s attention with the catch phrase ‘Build Tomorrow’s Workforce Today!’ on the front of each letter too,” Porter continued.
Each red envelope contains a letter, a Community Compact Agreement and an Employer Profile Website Survey. Workforce Wayne is asking the community to return the Community Compact Agreement by September 1, 2009. There are many ways to pledge support for Workforce Wayne on the Community Compact Agreement. For example, a business could indicate that it would speak to a career class, make a financial pledge to Workforce Wayne, or complete an Employer Profile Website Survey to link job seekers to employers in our area. The survey costs only $50 per year and the goal is that all employers will participate.
As the fiscal sponsor for Workforce Wayne’s current Wall Street West grant, WEDCO’s Executive Director Mary Beth Wood knows these are tough economic times, but she stresses the importance of support at this key juncture. “For a business owner, this organization is addressing the question of ‘where is my next great employee?’ Workforce Wayne’s activities recent give us an idea of its potential, particularly relating to increased training opportunities and raising the skill level of our labor force,” commented Wood.
To date, Workforce Wayne and partners are involving more than 100 Wayne/Pike entities in building a more effective workforce delivery system; investing $65,000 in a study on a Career & Technical Center for Wayne and Pike counties; locating library career centers across Wayne County; instituting career awareness and planning for all students; bringing community forums with national experts; building a website to connect employers to job seekers; and promoting training, such as the Luzerne County Community College RN program with Wayne Memorial Hospital.
Having gained so much momentum, Workforce Wayne now needs to keep itself afloat past the grant period. Noted Porter: “For 2010, we have $26,000 committed so far and are seeking an additional $94,000.” In addition to asking the community for support with Red Letter Day, Workforce Wayne is pursuing outside grant and foundation partnerships.
If businesses can contribute to Workforce Wayne in 2010, the return on investment will be a future of well-trained employees, expanding career & technical education, and a bridge between business and education. Workforce Wayne is a Wall Street West sub-grantee, and this program is funded in part by a Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.
About Workforce Wayne
Workforce Wayne’s mission is to create a more effective workforce delivery system through developing career opportunities; strengthening the skills of the workforce; and supporting lifelong learning. The initiative is innovative in nature – calling for collaboration, communication, and cooperation of many “non-traditional” workforce entities – and regional in that it encompasses the entire county and includes regional partners, such as the Pocono Counties Workforce Investment Board and NEPA Alliance. Included in the Workforce Wayne model are business, education, government, economic development, employment services, and community entities. Since its inception in 2005, more than 100 entities have participated.
The Workforce Wayne Board of Directors is comprised of representatives from Cherry Ridge Realty, Inc.; Linde Corporation; Northampton Community College; Penn State University; US Economic Development Administration (retired); Wall Street West; Wallenpaupack Area School District; Waste Management; Wayne County Assistance Office; Wayne County CareerLink; Wayne County Chamber of Commerce; Wayne County Commissioner; Wayne County Job Training; Wayne Highlands School District; Wayne Library Authority; Wayne Memorial Hospital; Wayne-Pike Adult Literacy Program; WEDCO; Western Wayne School District; and Woodloch Pines, Inc.
For more information, contact Jennifer Porter, Director of Workforce Initiatives, 570-253-5334 or
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To become part of Workforce Wayne, sign onto Workforce Wayne’s Community Compact Agreement at www.workforcewayne.org
About Wall Street West
Wall Street West is a partnership of more than two dozen economic development agencies, technology investment groups, workforce development organizations, educational and research institutions and private-sector experts from throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. The program is a federal- and state-funded initiative to develop a total back-up solution for companies in financial services, information technology and related industries through advancements in economic and workforce development.
In February 2006, the initiative secured a $15 million Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant from the U.S. Department of Labor for projects and programs associated with training the current and future workforce in the region in order to further encourage New York City-based companies to establish their back-up and back-office operations in the ten-county area (Berks, Carbon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Schuylkill and Wayne).
In addition to location, the region covered by the Wall Street West program offers significant business and quality-of-life advantages. Northeastern Pennsylvania boasts a highly educated, efficient workforce and low operating costs. More than 49,000 students are matriculating at dozens of local colleges and universities in the area, and many of these emerging professionals are eager to remain in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Other benefits of the area include excellent public school systems, a low-cost of living, affordable and available real estate and a wide array of outdoor and cultural activities.
For more information on the Wall Street West partners and programs, please call 610-758-5233 or visit www.wallstreetwest.org.
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