This Week in the Shapiro Administration: Governor Shapiro Opens Doors of Opportunity, Highlights Work to Expand the Commonwealth’s Workforce
September 01, 2023
Governor Shapiro also highlighted the economic development impacts of investing in state parks and trails, while his Administration continues its work to make government work better for Pennsylvanians and rebuild I-95 ahead of schedule.
Harrisburg, PA – This week, Governor Josh Shapiro and his Administration continued to serve the people of Pennsylvania and open the doors of opportunity for them to succeed – announcing the Pennsylvania State Police will remove the college credit requirement for Pennsylvanians who want to serve as state troopers and a new public-private partnership between Google and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) to help students build the skills they need to secure good-paying jobs. In addition to continued focus on workforce development, the Shapiro Administration highlighted historic investments in our state parks and recreation, the continued coordination on the I-95 rebuild response, and more.
Read about the Shapiro Administration’s work across Pennsylvania this week below:
Opening the Doors of Opportunity for State Service: Governor Shapiro, Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Remove College Credit Requirement for Cadet Applications
- Governor Shapiro and PSP Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris announced that the PSP will remove the college credit requirement for Pennsylvanians who want to serve as state troopers.
- In response, PSP received 297 total applicants – more than 15% of the entire applicant pool the previous cycle – in just the first two days after the announcement. 137 of those applicants wouldn’t have met the previous college credit requirement.
- The Shapiro Administration has worked to emphasize skills and experience in Commonwealth hiring practices since January – the expanded opportunities for state troopers will empower those who want to serve their community and open even more doors for Pennsylvanians to chart their own course and succeed.
Expanding the Commonwealth’s Workforce for High-Growth Jobs: Governor Shapiro Announces New Partnership with Google, PASSHE
- On Tuesday, Governor Josh Shapiro joined Google and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) to announce a new partnership that makes industry-recognized Google Career Certificates available to PASSHE students to help them secure good-paying jobs.
- This new public-private partnership will enable PASSHE students to earn a Google Career Certificate during their regular undergraduate programs, allowing them to earn college credit and an industry-recognized certificate at the same time.
- Governor Shapiro believes the foundation of our economy is our workforce, and Pennsylvania’s universities play a vital role in ensuring workers are prepared for the jobs of tomorrow. Participating PASSHE universities in this initial phase are Commonwealth, East Stroudsburg, Indiana, Kutztown, PennWest, Millersville, Shippensburg and Slippery Rock.
Ensuring Pennsylvania is a Premier Outdoors Destination: Governor Shapiro, DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn Launch Pennsylvania Office of Outdoor Recreation at Yough River Park
- Governor Shapiro and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn visited Yough River Park in Connellsville, along the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage (GAP), in Fayette County to launch Pennsylvania’s Office of Outdoor Recreation.
- Thanks to $2.8 million secured by Governor Shapiro in the 2023-24 state budget, the Pennsylvania Office of Outdoor Recreation will be focused on growing the state’s outdoor sector, which adds $14 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy and accounts for 152,000 jobs. Pennsylvania is now the largest state, by both economy and population, with an Office of Outdoor Recreation.
- The Governor also secured a $112 million budget investment in state parks and forests – the largest in decades – to ensure Pennsylvania remains a premier outdoor recreation destination.
Improving Unemployment Compensation Customer Service: The Department of Labor & Industry Announces Additional Investment in UC System
- The Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) announced major improvements to the customer-service experience for Unemployment Compensation (UC) claimants seeking assistance with their claims by doubling its capacity of trained staff who can provide real-time status updates about individual claims, help claimants navigate their dashboard, or answer general questions through UC Live Chat.
- Under the Shapiro Administration, L&I has aggressively prioritized the resolution of a workload that overwhelmed the system during the pandemic period of high unemployment by enhancing the system’s functionality to process claims in a timely manner, optimizing customer service at all levels, and bolstering the system’s resilience during times of low or high unemployment.
Showing that Pennsylvania Can Do Big Things: PennDOT Marks I-95 Reconstruction Milestone as Steel Beams are Set on the Southbound Lanes
- Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll joined Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, and Rob Buckley, President of Buckley & Co. to commemorate the setting of the first beams for the permanent reconstruction of Interstate 95 in northeast Philadelphia.
- Governor Shapiro and Secretary Carroll led a coordinated state, local, and federal response to reopen the roadway safely and as quickly as possible, and efforts were ahead of schedule each step of the way to get traffic flowing on I-95 again.
- The beams on the southbound side were installed and the northbound installation was completed. Now, the team from Buckley & Company will begin to build the outer bridge decks.
See more of what Pennsylvanians are seeing and reading about the Shapiro Administration’s work across our Commonwealth this week:
PoliticsPA: Shapiro Announces Partnership with Google, PASSHE for High-Growth Jobs
Philly Voice: Google partners with Pa. state schools to offer career-training certificates
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Shapiro admin waives college degree requirements for state police cadets
PennLive: State troopers no longer need college credits, Shapiro administration announces
PoliticsPA: State Police Removing College Credit Requirement To Serve
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Pa. launches Office of Outdoor Recreation
Erie Times-News: New Pennsylvania agency aims to grow outdoors recreation economy, jobs
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