Transforming the Future of Work in Southwestern Pennsylvania

Transforming the Future of Work in Southwestern Pennsylvania

In 2022, Southwest Pennsylvania was one of 30 winners of the Department of Commerce’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC), securing $63 million over three years to promote growth and inclusion in the robotics and manufacturing industries. As part of the Southwest Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative, The Block Center has taken on a pivotal role in helping establish a well-coordinated upskilling system by funding a variety of training options beyond traditional four-year and advanced degrees, ensuring that the programs stay responsive to evolving industry needs and are accessible to all communities.

A Data Dashboard to Track Impact

To monitor the deployment of Carnegie Mellon University's Project 3 Build Back Better funds, The Block Center developed an interactive data dashboard tool. This tool maps the impact of the dollars awarded, visualizing where projects are being implemented and highlighting their progress. The dashboard leverages data from grantees’ quarterly performance reports and invoice narratives, providing stakeholders with a clear view of how the investments are transforming the region.

NOTE: Users should click on the bar chart data and project location points on the map to see specific insights. Page 2 of the dashboard outline more details about the awarded projects. Data will be updated every quarter.


 

Partner Projects and Regional Investments

By the close of 2024, The Block Center had distributed over $1.4 million in funding to projects across Southwestern Pennsylvania’s 11 counties. These investments prioritize public-private partnerships and collaborative implementation, ensuring that urban and rural communities benefit from the initiative.

A core focus of the funded programs has been addressing the economic challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Initiatives have created multiple entry points for displaced workers while offering skills upgrading opportunities to help individuals transition into robotics and advanced manufacturing industries. The initiatives funded through The Block Center have emphasized a holistic approach to workforce development by combining technical training, soft skills development, and industry-specific preparation. These efforts are complemented by targeted strategies to reduce barriers to participation, such as providing transportation solutions, offering tuition-free training, and adopting flexible delivery methods like web-based and hybrid courses.

The 18 funded projects span various partners, including educational institutions, community nonprofits, industry collaborators and workforce development organizations, and individual researchers from various institutions. See page 2 of the dashboard to learn more about the awarded projects.

The BBBRC-backed initiatives have already achieved significant milestones:

  • 18 funded projects
  • 60+ programs, trainings, and curricula deployed.
  • 815+ individuals gained or upgraded skills through these programs.
  • 300+ women and 150+ BIPOC participants have been engaged in training or curriculum, showcasing strong inclusion.
  • Support for veterans, though opportunities exist to expand their participation.

Below are success stories from our first round of subawardees:

 

“I worked in food service for about a decade. I started out as a delivery person and worked my way up to General Manager where I finally found a bit of financial stability: precarious as it was. I worked 50-60 hour weeks but wasn't offered insurance, PTO, or 401K. Until I found Apprenti, I planned to save up enough to support myself through a traditional 4 year degree, but inflation and rising rent prices made that seem impractical. I tried to learn how to code on my own but made slow progress because my job was so demanding. In the last month of training, I have learned so much about networking and cybersecurity. I took the cybersecurity apprenticeship opportunity because I wanted financial stability, but I think I've found an interesting field I am excited to put my 10,000 hours into."

- Bridging the Gap Between Education and Tech Talent (Fortyx80)

“One student described this program as a chance for him to get training that he never would have gotten in St. Mary’s. It made the resources of Pittsburgh available in his small community. Another student was visiting a factory and saw that the collaborative robot used in the factory was the same as the robot she was exposed to in this program. She was able to engage the operator in a detailed discussion of the robot’s role on the shop floor and understand the operating program. This student had been in class for less than a traditional semester.”

- Essentials of Robotics: Short-Term Certificate Program (CCAC)

 

“[Participant] was a trainee during our Saturday only “Intro to Robotics/Automation/Manufacturing” developed with the ARM Institute and Tooling-U to help find, engage, and train individuals who are classified as “Dislocated Workers”. [Particpant’s] participation in that program led him to our M2K daylight programming. In August, they began their M2K cohort work, and has since earned two industry-recognized credentials from the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS). They wish to pursue additional credentials and the pursue placement with a local manufacturing firm.”

Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship Program (New Century Careers)

“This funding helped market and engage potential job seekers with our Forging Your Future curriculum that utilized other funding sources. The 25-minute, online, self-paced course is an introduction to careers in manufacturing. It has been shared with regional partners working with job seekers, manufacturing companies to utilize in their recruitment process, colleges, and training providers. Sessions introducing the program to regional partners were hosted at the Digital Foundry in New Kensington, as well as an Industry Partnership meeting in Johnstown. The content continues to be expanded, courses promoted, and individuals utilizing the program to begin an exploration of a career in manufacturing.”

- Manufacturing Career Readiness Curriculum Pilot (Catalyst Connection)

 

“[The project] used a community-based/community-engaged methodology and provided support to community groups who are training workers and students for emerging occupations at no cost, beyond their invested time, to them. I was proud that the project reached all across the region from Mars, PA to New Kensington to Oakland to the North Shore and then McKeesport!
 

For the 65 job trainers across six different groups, who consented to participate in our data collection and assessment, our conference presentation shows:

  • A large and statistically significant improvement in mindset orientation, towards growth, by 0.88 standard deviations (s.d.). The distribution of mindset scores shifted up and became more concentrated.
  • A large and statistically significant improvement in self-efficacy or confidence for their work supporting job seekers and using growth mindsets to do so by nearly 14 percentage points, a 0.84 s.d. Effect.
  • Over 90% of job trainers felt the growth mindset job training was a valuable experience. One participant said, ‘I enjoyed having the opportunity to discuss amongst each other some of our own struggles with fixed mindsets and how to achieve different thinking.’”

- Growth Mindset Training for and in the Labor Market (Ashley Orr, Carnegie Mellon University)

“Our team developed and deployed and intelligent tutoring system (ITS) designed to complement [the course], and we offered this course and the ITS through the CCAC workforce development center to…IT professionals seeking to acquire cloud computing skills. Our ability to provide this course, augmenmted with an intelligent tutor, demonstrated the ability of our partnership with CCAC to provide retraining to professionals seeking to ‘upskill.’” Learning systems developed by the team were deployed in numerous IT and Cybersecurity courses offered at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC).

- New Bridges to the Digital Economy (Lee Branstetter, Carnegie Mellon University)

Recommendations for Future Growth

To build on the success of these programs, several recommendations have been identified:

  • Strengthen regional coordination among BBBRC projects to better leverage the hub-and-spoke model.
  • Develop standardized metrics to track progress toward economic recovery goals.
  • Increase veteran engagement across training initiatives.
  • Enhance collaboration between existing robotics training programs.
  • Expand rural outreach and program participation.

With significant progress already achieved, the future of work in Southwestern Pennsylvania looks bright. By fostering innovation, inclusivity, and collaboration, the region is establishing itself as a leader in robotics and manufacturing, paving the way for economic resilience and growth.

About the New Economy Collaborative

The Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative is an 11-county coalition formed to apply for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC). The Collaborative includes 90+ organizations: community-based organizations, labor unions, educational and research institutions, economic development partners, and leaders from the private, public, and philanthropic sectors, led by a board of directors co-chaired by Stefani Pashman, CEO, Allegheny Conference on Community Development, and Farnam Jahanian, President, Carnegie Mellon University. They focus on communities that need support, adopting a hub-and-spoke approach designed to benefit the urban core and surrounding communities.


 

About Build Back Better

In September 2022, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded approximately $1 billion to 21 regional coalitions across the United States under the Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC). Created through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the BBBRC made historic investments in regions that will transform local economies through complementary and integrated projects. The program ends in 2026.