Community Organizations Present Awards to Partner4Work

Partner4Work received awards from two community organizations in November, recognizing collaborative efforts to put job seekers on pathways to quality careers.

On November 5, A.W. Beattie Career Center recognized Partner4Work’s efforts to support young adults preparing for quality career opportunities. Susie Puskar, Partner4Work’s director of youth innovation, and Lenny Kistler, young adult program manager, accepted the award.

Partner4Work is partnering with A.W. Beattie as part of our initiative to create new programs and scale existing ones that prepare high school graduates for in-demand jobs, supported by a Business Education Partnership grant from the PA Dept. of Labor & Industry. The grant supports the Health Careers Academy, a demonstration project creating a career pathway for students interested in the medical field through a comprehensive partnership with Career and Tech Centers (CTCs), Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), and UPMC. Partner4Work is also collaborating with A.W. Beattie to increase early career exploration for current Career and Tech Ed (CTE) students and expand awareness to younger students through career symposia.

The following day, Auberle presented Partner4Work with a Community Partner Award, celebrating our partnership to put individuals on the pathway to meaningful employment and careers. Bishop David Zubik presented the award to Susie Puskar and David Conway, youth program coordinator, at Auberle’s annual meeting.

Partner4Work currently partners with Auberle on a digital skills training program. Google will confer an IT Support Professional Certificate to those who successfully complete the program. At the same time, Auberle is a partner of Partner4Work’s new STRIVE employment program to help young adults involved in the justice system prepare for in-demand job opportunities. The program, a collaboration of Partner4Work, Allegheny County Jail Collaborative, and community partners, emphasizes employer-driven career services, industry-recognized credentialing, hands-on job training, and work experience that lead to jobs paying sustainable wages. Concurrently, the program provides specialized case management that connects participants to community supports.

To learn more about Partner4Work’s programs for young adults, visit https://www.partner4work.org/programs/young-adults-programs/.

Photo: Jason Watkins, A.W. Beattie Career Center’s principal (left), and Joanne Vano, cooperative education coordinator (right), with Partner4Work’s Susie Puskar and Lenny Kistler.