Pa. workforce development funding rises by $75M

A $75 million increase in workforce development investments over three years was highlighted recently by the Shapiro administration during a visit to Perry County. 

Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Nancy Walker visited the LEAF Project Home Farm, where young Pennsylvanians are earning pay and building agricultural skills through a state-registered pre-apprenticeship program. 

“Governor Shapiro understands that Pennsylvania’s economic future depends on preparing people for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” Walker said in a statement. “At LEAF, young people are earning a paycheck while learning how to grow food, operate a business, solve problems and lead a team. That is what effective workforce development looks like: real experience, recognized skills and a pathway to a meaningful career.” 

From vegetable production and pest management to post-harvest food safety, budgeting, marketing and food distribution, pre-apprentices and youth crew members demonstrated during the visit how training translates into real-world experience. 

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s bipartisan 2026-27 budget increased career and technical education funding by $10 million. With that increase, Pennsylvania’s annual investment in workforce development initiatives — including CTE, vo-tech, registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships — has grown 60%, from $118 million before Shapiro took office to its current $193 million. 

In July 2025, the Shapiro Administration awarded the LEAF Project $144,644 through L&I’s Supporting Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Sector through Apprenticeships and Pre-Apprenticeship grant initiative. The funding supports paid employment, leadership development, and agricultural training for people ages 14-18. 

Since its founding in 2013, LEAF has employed 191 people and provided over 98,000 hours of youth workforce training. 

“Every day, I get the privilege of working alongside motivated, inspired, and hardworking young people who are feeding their community while developing their leadership skills – and seeing themselves as an essential part of our community and the food system,” said LEAF Founder and Executive Director Heidi Witmer. “Employment-based apprenticeships like LEAF open doors for talented youth, especially those from non-farming families, to see themselves as leaders in Pennsylvania’s food system. This is how we cultivate the next generation of leaders.”

LEAF is a host site for Pasa Sustainable Agriculture’s state-registered Diversified Vegetable Pre-Apprenticeship. A Pennsylvania-based nonprofit, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture supports sustainable farms and equitable food systems through farmer-led education, research, technical assistance, and community partnerships. 

While host organizations such as LEAF recruit, employ, train and supervise participants, Pasa provides the program’s curriculum and administrative support. The Shapiro administration has invested nearly $1 million in Pasa Sustainable Agriculture through two L&I apprenticeship grants which are aimed at helping expand agricultural training, strengthen host-site partnerships, and connect Pennsylvanians with careers in farming and the food system. 

“Apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships are an important tool in building the next generation of the agricultural workforce in Pennsylvania,” said Dan Dalton, PASA Director for Technical Assistance, Training, Outreach & Development. “Through structured, certified training programs we are able to provide apprentices and pre-apprentices with comprehensive training experiences that prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of modern, diversified agricultural production.”