Funding remains a challenge for in-demand career training

Student enrollment has increased for career and technical education

Rep. Ryan Bizzarro April 28, 2025 | 2:41 PM

YORK, April 28 – In recent years, enrollment for career and technical education has increased, allowing more students to obtain training for in-demand careers and apprenticeships that allow young people to immediately step into the workforce, but funding for these programs is struggling to match the demand and rising costs for hands-on training.

“I am encouraged by the fact we heard about a growing number of students and families desperately seeking training for in-demand careers,” said state Rep. Carol Hill-Evans, who represents portions of York County and hosted a House Majority Policy Committee hearing on community-based workforce centers. “I called for this hearing to highlight our community workforce centers and explore their vital role. Investing in workforce development is an investment in people, and it’s clear based on the testimony we heard today, that supporting programs like these across the state will lead to economic resiliency for people and communities.”

A recording of Monday’s livestream hearing can be found here.

Hill-Evans has introduced the Building a Better Future Grant Program, or H.B. 455, that would help provide financial support for career training for construction, building trades and other careers in critical need. The House Majority Policy Committee hosted a hearing on community-based workforce centers at York County School of Technology Monday.

“Testifiers detailed the need for immersive training that not only opens up career opportunities for students but also helps avoid what will be a workforce shortage crisis across Pennsylvania if we fail to respond to this need,” said House Majority Policy Chairman Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, who represents portions of Erie County. “While testifiers noted the recent increase in state funding, challenges remain that could threaten our gains in expanding our workforce pipeline if we don’t continue to support these critical workforce needs.”

Monday’s House Majority Policy hearing featured testimony from Dr. Scott Rogers, the administrative director for York County School of Technology; Jacquie Martino-Miller, the charter school chief executive officer at Crispus Attucks York; Melissa Longenberger, the executive director for Workforce Now Foundation at York Builders Association; AliceAnn Frost, the executive director at TecCentro York; and Sully Pinos, the executive director at BLOOM Business Empowerment Center for York County Economic Alliance.