MontcoWorks
MontcoWorks COVID-19 Update
PA CareerLink®
PA CareerLink® Montgomery County will be closed to the public with a planned reopening date of 4/13/2020, but Title I and BWPO are fully operational remotely and are providing services to dislocated workers and employers impacted by COVID-19. While we are unable to use our available funding to provide Needs Based Payments specific to the COVID-19 layoffs as I had hoped, we have the following available now:
- Unemployment Compensation claim guidance and support (we do not determine eligibility but can help answer questions)
- Career Counseling
- A full menu of online workshops (all in-person workshops have been moved online)
- Short-term online training programs (we are actively working with all of our providers to develop online approved programs quickly and have several ready to go now)
- Support services which can include direct service referrals through our partnership with Community Connections, assistance with transportation (as needed), supplies/equipment needed for training or employment, and other supports needed to successfully complete their online training and enter employment (we are prepared to go as close to the edge of the box without going outside of it for support services).
There have been 10,379 new UC claims between 3/1/2020 through 3/26/2020. As a comparison, Montgomery County unemployment peaked in April 2010 at 7.3% with 31,100 unemployed; we had 17,400 confirmed total in December 2019, so with new claims we stand to come very close to that April 2010 number if not surpass it. PA CareerLink® Montgomery County is here to help.
Three L&I Bureau of Workforce Programs Operations (BWPO) staff, as of 3/27/2020, are working inside our PA CareerLink® to process the influx of new UC claims, a task that is outside of the scope of their work but one that they are graciously doing to help process the overwhelming number of claims statewide. We are so grateful for their commitment!
MontcoWorks*NOW
Programming is still available for youth through 24 years old. MontcoWorks*NOW staff are actively working with all enrolled program participants to ensure activities continue remotely. They are also planning to enroll additional participants remotely and can offer access to PA CareerLink® Montgomery County services plus the following:
Life-sustaining/community based Paid Work Experience
EARN
All enrolled participants are meeting ongoing requirements for their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits through online/remote career development activities and have access to ongoing supportive services and case management. We are receiving new referrals and conducting enrollment orientations remotely.
________
MontcoWorks Overview
MontcoWorks administers workforce programming that is designed to meet the diverse needs of employers and job seekers in Montgomery County.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 establishes local workforce development areas nationwide, tasked with the designation of available funding to stimulate economic development by strengthening the workforce. MontcoWorks serves Montgomery County as the local area’s workforce development board, providing market-driven information and services that align with regional and statewide workforce development planning.
MontcoWorks board members are appointed by the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in accordance with WIOA regulations. Membership is comprised of business leaders (51%) and representatives from education, community organizations, economic development, labor organizations and PA CareerLink® Montgomery County partners.
Goals
- Provide up-to-date regional and local Labor Market Information to public and private sector decision-makers, guiding ongoing workforce programming
- Inventory, assess, and broker employment services to help facilitate seamless service delivery for Montgomery County’s businesses, adults, dislocated workers, incumbent workers, TANF-recipients, and youth
- Create a long-term local workforce development plan
- Develop policies that direct implementation of county-wide workforce programming
- Procure and provide oversight for operations and WIOA Title I service delivery at the PA CareerLink® Montgomery County, a proud partner of the American Job Center® Network. To visit PA CareerLink® online, go to www.pacareerlink.pa.gov
- Procure and provide oversight for service delivery of the Montgomery County Employment, Advancement and Retention Network (EARN) program
- Procure and provide oversight for service delivery of MontcoWorks NOW programming for youth and young adults ages 16-24
- Meet the needs of employers through innovative approaches to recruitment, on-the-job training, incumbent worker training and customized job training while looking ahead to help build a future pipeline of skilled workers.
- Promote Industry Partnerships among Montgomery County business leaders by sector, focusing a collaborative effort on planning for the current and future success of their respective industries.
Contact Us
-
MontcoWorks
Physical Address
Human Services Center
1430 DeKalb Street, 5th Floor
Norristown, PA 19401
Get DirectionsMailing Address
Human Services Center
P.O. Box 311
Norristown, PA 19404
Phone
610-278-5950
Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Jennifer Butler
Executive Director of MontcoWorks
Montgomery County Workforce Development Board
Email
Members
| Suzanne Ryan - Chair | External Affairs Manager, PECO Energy |
| Mr. Daniel Woodall - Vice Chair | Business Manager, Laborer’s International Union Local Union # 135 |
| Mr. Emad Abdelnaby | Senior Director US Marketing, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices |
| Mr. Jason Acree | President & Assistant Manager, LU126, IBEW |
| Ms. Kathleen Arnold-Yerger | Executive Director, Norristown Public Library |
| Dr. Victoria Bastecki-Perez | Interim President & Provost, Montgomery County Community College |
| Ms. Susan Clauser | Director of Adult Education, Keystone Opportunities Center |
| Mr. Michael Coakley | Director in Audit & Accounting Group, Kreischer Miller |
| Ms. Rochelle Culbreath | Public & Government Affairs Liaison, SEPTA |
| Ms. Marybeth Ferguson | Assistant Regional Director, Southeast Bureau of Workforce Partnership and Operations, Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry |
| Ms. Catherine Judge Cardillo | Director Pennsylvania Advocacy, Trinity Health |
| Ms. Pamela Kelly | President/CEO, Pennsuburban Chamber of Greater Montgomery County |
| Ms. Wendy Klinghoffer | Executive Director, Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce |
| Mr. France Krazalkovich | Vice President of Operations, KPInterface, Inc. |
| Ms. Peggy Lee-Clark | Executive Director, Pottstown Area Industrial Development, Inc. (PAID) |
| Mr. Richard Lewis | President & CEO, The Lewis Group |
| Mr. Kyle Longacre | Program Administrator, College & Career Readiness, Montgomery County Intermediate Unit |
| Ms. Dorothy Miller | Lab Services Coordinator, Merck & Co. Inc. |
| Ms. Barbara O’Malley | Deputy Chief Operating Officer |
| Mr. Paul Pappasergi | Director of Contracts Management, Eckerd Connects |
| Ms. Stephanie Perry | Assistant District Administrator, Norristown Office of Vocational Rehabilitation |
| Ms. Peggy Schmidt | Executive Director, The Partnership Transportation Management Association of Montgomery County |
| Ms. Karla Trotman | Executive Vice President, Electro Soft, Inc. |
Meeting Schedule
Agendas and Minutes
Multi-Year Regional Plan & Local Plan
The Montgomery County Workforce Development Area (MontcoWorks) has developed a multi-year local plan while working with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Workforce Development Planning Region to develop a multi-year regional plan. This region includes the following Workforce Development Areas: Montgomery, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia.