Harrisburg to host bilingual workforce center

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Tec Centro Workforce Network announced plans to open a Harrisburg location to expand its growing workforce training and development in third-class cities.

The newest location of the Tec Centro Workforce Network, Tec Centro Capital Region, will open in the city of Harrisburg. The location is expected to provide community-based bilingual workforce development to serve those who are unemployed and underemployed. An exact location for Tec Centro Capital Region will be selected by the end of 2023.

The Tec Centro Workforce Network is targeting operations to begin by July 1, 2024, with a phased-in approach to training in work readiness skills along with specific occupational training in a variety of fields, including professional and trades related training.

Robert Torres, who formerly served as Secretary of Aging, will serve as project manager. He will help establish the organization and its governance, work with partners and stakeholders to financially support the center and its programming and support the identification and fit out of an appropriate facility.

“Tec Centro Capital Region will be a full-service bilingual education and skills training center designed to meet the needs of individuals in this region and their unique set of circumstances,” Torres said in a statement. “The center will also work to make appropriate referrals to many resources available from key community partners we hope to collaborate with for this effort.”

Tec Centro Capital Region will become the sixth center in five communities to join the Tec Centro Workforce Network. Its aim is to replicate the success of locations in Lancaster, Lebanon, Reading, and York. The Capital Region Center will likewise be in a third-class city and will be a self-governed 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with its own local board.

Tec Centro provides adult basic education and occupational training in careers that are in demand within the capital region. These career opportunities are full-time employment that provide family-sustaining wages and benefits.

“The need to increase workforce training and skills development for workers in the Capital Region is paramount to ensure individuals that are unemployed or underemployed can obtain family-sustaining jobs that offer livable wages and related benefits,” said Carlos Graupera, CEO of the Tec Centro Workforce Network. “The opening of a location in Harrisburg is also critical to helping local employers meet their workforce demands which helps to sustain their businesses and contributes productively to the economic vitality of the region.”

Gloria Merrick, Executive Director of the Latino Hispanic American Community Center (LHACC), said the organization recognizes the need to strengthen the region’s workforce development efforts to support the community and is offering programs to develop soft skills.

“However, there is a need for more robust programs to build skills in various trades, and professional and technical occupations,” said Merrick. “LHACC looks forward to partnering with Tec Centro Capital Region to provide new opportunities and help uplift individuals and families.”