New collaboration offers training for agribusiness, transportation and warehousing jobs

A new collaboration among academic, state and workforce development organizations will provide training for emerging jobs in agribusiness, transportation and warehousing. 

Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jennifer Berrier today said the partnership among The Giant Company, workforce development organizations, three academic institutions and Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Foundation is supported by a $250,000 Industry Partnership Grant from L&I. 

 “This grant program builds on Gov. Tom Wolf’s PAsmart initiative, through which the administration has distributed nearly $60 million statewide since 2018 to expand job training through registered apprenticeships and industry partnerships and to support STEM and computer science education in hundreds of Pennsylvania schools,” Berrier said. 

 “Workforce development is most successful when community members collaborate to develop practical solutions to collective problems,” she said.  

The project will expand on an existing leadership program created for incumbent Giant Company employees to include additional occupations and serve dislocated workers – particularly within underserved populations. 

 Shippensburg University, Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) and the Harrisburg University of Science of Technology are developing curriculum and credited education to put workers on a career pathway within agribusiness, including transportation/warehousing and manufacturing. 

 “Through the grant and this unique collaboration, stakeholders will work to address upskilling needs for food manufacturers and grocery retailers like The Giant Company across the Midstate,” said Matt Lutcavage, vice president of team experience and chief human resources officer for The Giant Company.  

“Together, we’ll work to reskill dislocated workers and skill potential workers for two of the commonwealth’s most in-demand industries: agribusiness and transportation and warehousing – industries our company is forever grateful for and reliant upon,” he said. 

 “The time is now for higher education to be innovative in creating short-term, equitable, and inclusive credentialing opportunities that serve a diverse range of individuals across Pennsylvania,” said Cynthia Pritchard, CEO of the State System Foundation. 

 “Higher ed is a key driver of local economies in the commonwealth, and this partnership illustrates our shared commitment to fulfilling the workforce needs of the commonwealth and ensuring students are prepared for well-paying, life-changing jobs.”