The White House on Tuesday declared Pittsburgh as one of five workforce hubs across the country, which will look to position the region as a strategic location for future career training that benefits the nation in the coming months and years.
It's a declaration that's also being awarded to Augusta, Georgia; Baltimore; Columbus, Ohio; and Phoenix.
All five of these cities are now set to see President Joe Biden's administration work more closely with respective state and local officials, unions, community colleges, high schools and other stakeholders "to ensure a diverse and skilled workforce can meet the demand for labor" that's largely being supported by major federal legislation that has been passed over the past few years, namely the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act. The White House said these five cities "will create models the administration will work to replicate with partners across the country."
"Pittsburgh is a hub for innovation across critical sectors, with strong growth in advanced manufacturing, including robotics and biomanufacturing, as well as clean energy, including batteries," the White House said in a statement. "The growth of these industries [in Pittsburgh]—along with significant investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in transportation, water infrastructure, and more—will continue to drive significant demand for talent."
Last September, the Pittsburgh region placed as one of several nationally coveted Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant award winners from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, which the federal infrastructure bill funded. The $62.7 million awarded to the region will be spent over the next four years to offer workforce training efforts to an estimated 14,000 people, build a 30,000-square-foot robotics manufacturing hub and launch a robotics startup factory for entrepreneurs to turn ideas into feasible businesses, among other initiatives.
The efforts announced by the White House on Tuesday are being made possible as part of Biden's "Investing in America Workforce Initiatives," which includes the designation of these five workforce hubs as well as an "Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Sprint" and the launch of the "Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy," an initiative from the Department of Labor and the National League of Cities.
