About

As The Statewide Voice of Business™, the Pennsylvania Chamber is here for PA businesses, to help develop the solutions they need to solve the workforce issues they are experiencing every day.

At the same time, students and others entering the workforce are looking for information on in-demand jobs that are available and that will provide a solid career choice.

That’s why the Pennsylvania Chamber Educational Foundation has created “Start the Conversation HERE” — a grassroots campaign with resources aimed at addressing the skills gap in Pennsylvania. As the state’s largest broad-based business advocacy association, the Pennsylvania Chamber is committed to help bridge the gap between Pennsylvania employers’ current and future employment needs and the skills of today’s workforce.

Start the Conversation HERE

Start the Conversation HERE is a grassroots initiative aimed at addressing the skills gap in Pennsylvania by increasing public awareness of the growing demand for workers in the skilled trades and other employment trends in the Commonwealth. Part of this mission is countering misperceptions about the skill sets needed to acquire family-sustaining jobs.

Resources, help and information you’ll find here:

• The in-demand occupations, including the education and skills needed and the salary potential they offer
• Company success stories and how they are filling their employment needs
• Student success stories that raise awareness of the jobs that are in-demand in the state, and the steps they took to achieve success
• How businesses can be a partner with educators to attract the talent they need in Pennsylvania
• The continuing work we are engaged in to change the perception of jobs in the skilled trades

How you can get involved:

Use the Start the Conversation HERE website, featuring innovative companies that are successful at filling their current and future workforce needs, student success stories, the in-demand jobs in Pennsylvania, and available resources at both the state and local levels.

Join us for a series of informative workforce webinars for business spotlighting successful companies, educators and other resources that offer practical solutions in finding the talent businesses want and need.

To date, Pennsylvania businesses have raised nearly $275,000 to provide work ethic scholarship dollars to 112 PA students. And with your donation, you can continue to help Pennsylvanians pursuing education in skilled trades, create mass awareness of the growing opportunities in the skilled trades and close the skills gap.

Join the PA Chamber. As the state’s largest broad-based business advocacy association, the Pennsylvania Chamber is committed to help bridge the gap between Pennsylvania employers’ current and future employment needs and the skills of today’s workforce. With the support of the Pennsylvania business community, the “Start The Conversation HERE” initiative is designed to increase public awareness around the growing demand for workers in the Commonwealth, influence policymakers to strengthen existing workforce development programs to make sure that the Commonwealth is fully developing and harnessing the talent, skills and capacities of its citizens, and directly providing businesses and students with resources that will help narrow the skills gap in Pennsylvania. If your company is concerned about closing the skills gap and wants to help guide students to a future where jobs exist, join the PA Chamber NOW and help us to start the conversation HERE.