Fred Dedrick talks about workforce and economic development in Pennsylvania. Dave Shelly—Campus Photography

Congress passed a law in 1998 requiring every state to develop an organization comprised of members of the private sector to help guide job growth. In Pennsylvania, former Gov. Tom Ridge created the Human Resources Investment Council, renamed a few years later the Team Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board (PA WIB). Fred Dedrick, executive director of the Board, recently visited the University Park campus and talked with Penn State Outreach magazine about pressing workforce and economic development issues across the Commonwealth and how Penn State and the Board can work together to tackle these challenges.

 

Q: What are the challenges facing PA WIB?
Dedrick: It's important that we reach out to the business community and understand its needs. We need to understand where the jobs of the future are going to be, because thousands of people will be changing careers as a result of losses of certain kinds of jobs, like manufacturing jobs, and the continuous evolution of the business services, hospitality and health-care sectors. We are trying to understand what skills, education and knowledge workers will need as we move well into the 21st century.

Q: How can higher education institutions like Penn State complement the work of PA WIB in addressing lifelong learning needs?
Dedrick: We need good, solid research on what companies are looking for in terms of the workforce and how companies will be changing in the future. We also need to know what students are looking for in terms of employment, salary, support for lifelong learning and flexibility in the workplace. We also must find out why our young people are leaving Pennsylvania.

 

Q: As Pennsylvania's land-grant institution, Penn State has a comprehensive infrastructure of campuses and Cooperative Extension offices across the state. How can Penn State leverage its resources to assist PA WIB?
Dedrick: The beauty of Penn State's reach is its ability to help the 22 local workforce investment areas, some of which cover multiple counties. In addition, there are 10 regional economic development areas. All of Penn State's campuses, as well as its Extension services, should be involved with the strategy developed at the regional level. This is where the action is. This is where Penn State can bring resources to the table.

 

Q: Which job sectors are facing labor shortages?
Dedrick: The most prominent sector is health care. We currently have about 4,000 nursing positions open and thousands of positions open in other health-care areas. We also have some openings in manufacturing. There are spot shortages in the technology area, and there are shortages in the transportation and food processing sectors, as well. Even though the unemployment rate is low, it appears there is not a lot of growth in jobs.

Q: How can Penn State faculty work collaboratively with PA WIB?
Dedrick: The easiest way is to call me or send me an e-mail, as some faculty have already done, and tell me their area of interest. (Phone: 717-772-4966, e-mail: fdedrick@state.pa.us)

Q: How has the Board benefited the Commonwealth?
Dedrick: One of the most important things is the creation of the Task Force on Health Care Careers, which developed the plan for Health Careers Awareness Week, first implemented in 2002. This year's Health Careers Awareness Week included more than 250 events across the Commonwealth and generated hundreds of inquiries about health-care careers. The Workforce Investment Board is also responsible for developing a performance management system that will develop common measures for all workforce programs across five different state departments. In addition, the Board will be developing and organizing with the local WIBs a series of industry partnerships based on the analysis of our competitive industry clusters.

Q: What kind of collaboration with Penn State would be optimal?
Dedrick: The most important partnership would be focused on workforce and economic development. How do we predict the jobs of the future, and what do we need to do to make the economy grow? These are questions that research and smart people can help us answer. There are also ways for students to work as interns and, on the local level, there are lots of opportunities to analyze the economy to determine which industries are competitive.

AT A GLANCE: Pennsylvania Economy

• Pennsylvania suffered a net migration loss of 20,038 people holding bachelor's, master's or professional degrees from 1999 to 2001. Most of the net loss, 13,056, was among people age 20 to 29.
  

• Pennsylvania ranked 47th in percentage of employment growth from 1992 to 2002—lower than every state but Hawaii, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
  

• Pennsylvania ranked 45th in new establishment formation from 1900 to 1999.

(U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis,
Penn State Population Research Institute)