Skill Up Fast Community Partnership

Workforce development could be explained as a simple recipe of 2 ingredients: supply and demand. But when you add a dash of human complexity, a sprinkle of artificial intelligence (AI), and fold in technology, the concept of preparing adult learners at all stages of life is suddenly worthy of an episode of "Chopped". Skill Up Fast Community Workforce Partnership combines education, philanthropy, public resources, community benefit organizations, and local business to cook up an award-winning dish that is not only delicious but nourishes the local economy. 

The recipe card: 

70 languages spoken other than English

74,587 (26%) of workforce age 55+

56.3k annual job openings 

47.8% with disabilities unemployed

30,408 foreign born

30,375 speak English less than very well

Latinx population fastest growing ethnic group, projected to grow from 11% to 20% by 2050

30,842 job openings require some sort of post-secondary other than degree

8.2% poverty level 

The challenge lies in breaking down barriers to employment for individuals who face systemic, economic, or personal obstacles, such as limited access to education, transportation, or childcare. These barriers often leave capable individuals disconnected from career opportunities, perpetuating cycles of poverty and underemployment. 

The Skill Up Fast Community Partnership is a replicable, sustainable workforce development model that includes all the key ingredients for success. The differentiator is that the partners have found a way to utilize public and philanthropic resources to remove the number one barrier to short-term workforce training, and that is the out-of-pocket cost to adults, of whom 80% we serve are low income. 

Partnership - Key partners in this model include education (Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology), Tec Centro - a community workforce and training center, the Pennsylvania CareerLink, the local Workforce Development Board, Community Action Partnership, the Commonwealth of PA, and philanthropic partners such as Truist Foundation who see the impact that this model delivers and continue to invest in. 

Within this model, cross-sector partners pool their resources and provide wrap-around supportive services, career navigation, job placement assistance, and technical career training in 6-months or less. While it resembles the structure identified in toolkits for workforce development such as those provided by the National Fund, or as outlined in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), often times communities struggle to find the right partners or collaborate in a meaningful, sustainable way. This partnership exemplifies the "how to". 

Our initiative targets individuals facing systemic and personal barriers to upskilling and employment, including:

• Syeda, a refugee hiding from the Taliban, navigating legal, cultural, and linguistic barriers.
• Frank, a formerly incarcerated individual rebuilding his life after 15 years in prison.
• Ben, a young adult who contemplated suicide after dropping out of college.
• Alice, a domestic abuse survivor seeking safety and independence after a near-fatal attack.
• Pablo, a recent immigrant from Chile learning English while adapting to a new country.

These individuals are underserved due to restrictive program eligibility requirements, language barriers, lack of holistic support, and systemic biases against marginalized populations.

The Skill Up Fast partnership is designed to break down these barriers and create pathways to opportunity. By simplifying eligibility requirements, we ensure access to training programs for those traditionally excluded. We prioritize language justice, offering multilingual resources to support diverse communities. Wraparound services address critical needs like childcare, transportation, and mental health, enabling participants to focus on their goals. Our short-term, hands-on training programs are tailored to deliver tangible career outcomes, complemented by job placement assistance. Through collaborations with community organizations, we create personalized solutions that meet individuals where they are.

One key ingredient in the Skill Up Fast Community Partnership is being embedded in the community we serve. Both Thaddeus Stevens College and Tec Centro Training Centers are located in Lancaster City, PA. This is intentional, as many participants can walk or take public transportation to attend training. Lancaster City demographics mirror our target population: 42.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Black, and 16.6% two or more races. 34.8% of residents speak a language other than English, and per capita income is 10% lower than the county at $29,234.

Our diverse team reflects the community we serve, encompassing a broad spectrum of ethnicities, races, genders, and sexual orientations. It includes individuals from various cultural backgrounds, such as African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and multiracial identities, as well as men, women, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ members.

By embracing diversity across visible identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and abilities, our team fosters equity, inclusion, and respect, ensuring we understand and meet the unique needs of the community, and continuing the mission of our founder at Thaddeus Stevens College, statesman Thaddeus Stevens, a staunch abolitionist who fought for the abolition of slavery, equal protection under the law, universal suffrage, and free public education. 

Our solution is guided by ongoing community input through focus groups, surveys, and advisory boards, engaging over 200 individuals last year. Feedback has directly shaped our training curriculum, making it more flexible and culturally relevant, while quarterly coalition meetings drive continuous improvement such as improving data collection and job placement retention efforts. 

To ensure accessibility, we prioritize language justice by providing materials and live interpretation in languages like Spanish, French Creole and Ukranian. Community members also co-designed key elements, such as transportation and support services, improving enrollment and retention. This collaborative, adaptive approach ensures our solution reflects and responds to the community’s needs and priorities.

The growth of the Skill Up Fast Community Partnership is like perfecting a recipe for success, where each ingredient contributes to a transformative outcome. Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology and Tec Centro, as mission-driven leaders, are the master chefs blending our expertise to create a model that delivers no-cost, high-quality education to learners.

Starting with a single 6-month skilled trades training program in 2019, serving 20 learners annually, we have carefully added layers of funding, partnerships, and community trust. By 2025, the “menu” includes six robust 6-month programs serving 150 learners annually, each one a customer receiving 5-star service, including career navigation, support, and quality technical training, with no student debt. 

The partnership is currently developing trainings in areas like renewable energy and in active discussions with community leaders in areas like Philadelphia who lack the opportunities for entry level career pathways in the skilled trades. The partnership is not just addressing the challenge—it is redefining it. We are creating pathways for education and career growth, filling gaps in an aging, technologically evolving workforce, and building a sustainable coalition of workforce partners. This recipe doesn’t just feed immediate needs; it nourishes our workforce ecosystem ready to meet future demands. 

Short Term Programs - Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology

Tec Centro - Spanish American Civic Association

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

This partnership's innovative recipe for success is contributed to understanding the most common pitfalls of workforce coalitions and designing local solutions to overcome them. 

Lack of clarity about goals can hinder progress, but our partnership has overcome this by focusing on clear, measurable objectives, including a shared performance dashboard. Starting with one program in 2019, it has expanded to six by 2025, growing enrollment from 20 to 150 learners annually, all aligned with the goal to provide no-cost education and address workforce shortages.

Securing buy-in is often challenging, yet our partnership thrives with strong support from stakeholders. Local businesses send workers for training and offer apprenticeships, while funders back the model's growth, ensuring shared commitment to outcomes.

Insufficient collaboration can slow success; Skill Up Fast thrives on cooperation. By combining expertise from Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, TEC Centro, and local businesses & community organizations, the partnership co-creates tailored programs that foster trust & meet regional workforce needs while supporting mutual efforts to seek funding for program enhancement. 

Not understanding the future workforce can be a barrier, but our partnership stays ahead by accessing industry insights through advisory committees and collaborations with Career Ready Lancaster! and the PA Department of Labor and Industry, ensuring we remain relevant in a changing environment.

Executing plans is often difficult, but Skill Up Fast has proven its ability to scale from one to six programs in six years. Through feedback, adaptive practices, and sustainable funding, the partnership meets the needs of learners and employers effectively.

The Skill Up Fast Community Partnership has created an award-winning recipe for coalition building that champions the upskilling of adult learners, worthy of replicating in marginalized communities who seek to create equitable pathways to employment. 

The collaborative workforce model drives measurable impact by breaking down systemic barriers to employment and creating equitable pathways to economic opportunity. Through tuition-free training programs, it removes financial obstacles for underrepresented populations, ensuring access to high-demand careers. Participants earn industry-recognized credentials, enabling them to secure higher-paying, stable jobs. These efforts align with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and 10: Reduced Inequalities.

For individuals, the program is transformative. Participants achieve economic mobility, entering careers that provide family-sustaining wages without the burden of educational debt. Training programs tailored to employer needs enhance job readiness, career confidence, and long-term growth.

Employers benefit significantly as well, gaining access to a skilled, diverse talent pool that reduces hiring costs, minimizes turnover, and accelerates onboarding. Local recruitment strategies improve employee retention and strengthen community ties. By addressing workforce gaps, businesses also drive innovation in critical sectors like Advanced Manufacturing and Green Energy.

At the community level, the model bolsters economic resilience by raising household incomes, decreasing unemployment, and stimulating local spending. These efforts reduce poverty (SDG 1: No Poverty) and improve educational access (SDG 4: Quality Education). By prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, the program tackles longstanding inequities while fostering a cycle of shared investment.

Progress toward these goals is measured using key indicators: Training Enrollments, Training Completions, Job Placement Rates, Wage Growth, Job Retention, and both Student and Employer Satisfaction. These metrics ensure continuous improvement and demonstrate the model’s transformative impact.

The Skill Up Fast Community Partnership outcomes for 2023 are: 

Enrollment (100%) - all classes are filled w/ waiting lists

Completion - 98%

Employment within 6 months - 75%

Retention (one year) - 81%

Median Wages - $50,916

By empowering individuals, supporting businesses, and strengthening communities, this approach creates a lasting legacy of shared prosperity and economic vitality.

The Skill Up Fast Workforce Partnership consists of a cross-sector team. Key solutions team members include: 

1. Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology - 1 Full Time Lead, 2 Full time Co-leads, 11 contracted team members (educational instructors), and 5 support staff including those who support advancement, career services, student success, and admissions. 

2. Tec Centro - 1 Full Time Lead (CEO), 2 Full time Co-leads (Directors of Centers), 3 full time Career Navigators, 3 support staff. 

3. PA CareerLink - team consists of Career Navigators and Business Service Team members

4. Occupational Advisory Committees - dozens of industry leaders 

The Community Partnership formalized our work in an MOU in 2019. Since then, the partnership has been focused on sustainability and growth. Approaching year 6, the solution has been perfected into an award-worthy recipe that addresses upskilling, coalition building, wrap around support, and career navigation. 

TSCT, founded in 1905 continues drive change while staying committed to our mission, "Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology educates Pennsylvania’s economically and socially disadvantaged as well as other qualified students for skilled employment in a diverse, ever-changing workforce and for full effective participation as citizens."

Tec Centro Network is celebrating 10 years in 2024. 

The Skill Up Fast Community Partnership is committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at every level of our work. Our leadership team reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve. Dr. Pedro Rivera, President of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, and Mr. Jose Lopez, CEO of the Spanish American Civic Association (SACA), are both first-generation college graduates with lived experiences that resonate with our target population. Their backgrounds as members of historically underrepresented groups provide authentic leadership in creating equitable pathways to opportunity. Vanessa Philbert, CEO of Community Action Partnership and key partner of Skill Up Fast says, "We envision a community that is equitable, just, and prosperous for everyone. To bring this vision to life, reflecting on how we do our work and show up for our community is vital."

To advance DEI within our organizations, we actively recruit diverse talent, focusing on individuals who bring cultural and linguistic representation to our team, as well as industry experience.  We regularly assess our policies and practices to identify and address systemic barriers, ensuring that staff and program participants feel valued and supported. For example, Thaddeus Stevens College incorporates community feedback through advisory boards to design programming that addresses local needs. Instructors and staff participate in quarterly professional development sessions that focus on inclusiveness, best practices in education, and personal growth. 

We have taken deliberate steps to foster equity by eliminating restrictive eligibility criteria, providing multilingual services, and embedding wraparound supports like childcare and transportation into our programs. 

Our goal is not only to create opportunities for individuals but to model DEI in action, demonstrating how cross-sector organizations can work collaboratively to dismantle barriers and build inclusive, equitable systems. 

The Skill Up Fast Community Partnership business model is a collaborative approach to workforce development, providing resources such as career navigation, wraparound support, technical training, and job placement assistance. Key activities include personalized services like one-on-one career planning, competency-based short-term training, and engagement with employers to address workforce needs. Training is delivered in person, ensuring tailored support to meet individual and industry demands.

Beneficiaries include individuals and families seeking upward mobility, employers needing skilled workers, and the local economy striving for growth. The value proposition centers on rapid skill development without debt, creating clear career trajectories and fostering economic mobility. Our customers are predominantly socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals, with 80% representing underrepresented populations.

Key partners in the ecosystem include Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Tec Centro, Lancaster County Workforce Development Board, PA CareerLink, Community Action Partnership, local businesses, consumers, and economic development entities. Together, we align efforts to enhance U.S. competitiveness while addressing local workforce shortages. Channels for outreach are localized and culturally relevant, deeply embedded in the community, and connected to other social services to maximize accessibility and impact. An example of this is the 2 Gen Approach to supporting family units to develop pathways to prosperity. 

Impact is measured through outcomes like enrollments, program completions, barrier remediation, job placements, retention, wage increases, and customer satisfaction. A blended funding model combines public grants, philanthropic donations, and business sponsorships to cover program costs, ensuring students access services free of charge. Public funds provide foundational support, philanthropic contributions address gaps and innovation, while businesses invest in workforce development to meet industry needs. An MOU outlines shared responsibilities within the partnership, ensuring sustainable funding and cost-sharing mechanisms.

The Skill Up Fast Partnership delivers value to all stakeholders by addressing systemic workforce challenges, promoting diversity, and driving economic growth through an innovative, community-centered model.

The Skill Up Fast partnership sustains its operations through a diversified funding model that leverages public and private funding, including grants, philanthropic donations, government support, and revenue-generating services. This approach ensures our revenue streams align with our mission and cover expected expenses.

Our partnership has a proven track record of securing significant funding to advance workforce development. Since 2019, Thaddeus Stevens College's Workforce and Economic Development Center has received grants totaling over $1.5 million, including $500,000 and $110,000 from the BB&T Economic Growth Fund (2019, 2021), $600,000 through the Manufacturing to Careers Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, $112,500 from the PNC Foundation (2022),  and $150,000 from the Truist Foundation (2023). 

Key partner Tec Centro has also secured substantial funding to support the shared mission. In 2024, Tec Centro received $250,000 from the Fulton Forward Foundation and an $8 million investment from the state to expand regional workforce initiatives. Additionally, Tec Centro, through the Spanish American Civic Association (SACA) and with community and Lancaster County Community Foundation support, launched a $10 million “Invest to Empower” endowment campaign to ensure long-term sustainability.

Recently, the partnership collectively received $25,000 to support language justice initiatives. 

In addition to grant funding, the partnership generates revenue through services that directly support workforce efforts, such as employer-sponsored training and service contracts with government agencies. These funds enable us to deliver career navigation, wraparound support, in-person technical training, and job placement assistance tailored to local needs.

Our proven ability to secure diverse funding sources, combined with innovative revenue strategies, positions the Skill Up Fast Community Partnership for long-term financial sustainability. By aligning funding with measurable outcomes such as job placements, wage growth, and economic impact, we ensure that our efforts continue to drive meaningful change for individuals, families, and the local economy.

Partnering with the Truist Foundation and MIT Solve presents an extraordinary opportunity to amplify the impact of our work, enabling us to break down barriers and transform lives through high-quality, no-cost technical training. This collaboration would provide not only critical funding but also access to invaluable resources, networks, and expertise that can propel our efforts to the next level.

With support from this partnership, we can overcome key challenges, including the ongoing need to invest in state-of-the-art tools and equipment required to maintain excellence in training programs such as welding, HVAC, plumbing, facility maintenance, mechatronics, and IT support. Up-to-date equipment is essential for ensuring our learners acquire industry-relevant skills that lead to meaningful employment and career advancement.

The Truist Foundation and MIT Solve’s focus on innovation and collaboration aligns perfectly with our partnership’s model of shared reinvestment. By collaboratively allocating award winnings, we can strengthen not just our programs but also our capacity to meet the evolving needs of learners and employers in our community. Furthermore, the technical assistance, strategic guidance, and global exposure offered by MIT Solve would empower us to scale our impact, identify new solutions to workforce challenges, and ensure long-term sustainability.

Together, we can address systemic barriers such as access to training, diversity in the workforce, and economic mobility, creating a ripple effect that benefits individuals, families, employers, and the broader economy. This partnership represents not just an investment in our work but an investment in the future of our community.