An important message regarding COVID-19 from Earl Buford, CEO

Important resources for businesses, workers, job seekers, and youth.

Partner4Work has been monitoring the situation and following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) around social distancing, sound hygiene practices, and other measures to mitigate potential exposure and spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.

As such, we have canceled events such as the Learn & Earn kickoff and BankWork$ graduation ceremony. Other in-person meetings and convenings have been canceled or adjusted to be held virtually.

Effective today, and following the guidance of Gov. Tom Wolf, Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh, I will require the P4W staff to work remotely and conduct meetings virtually or by phone until further notice. Nevertheless, the Partner4Work team remains committed to providing critical services and is available to our providers, partners, and community via email or phone.

Learn & Earn

While the online application for the Learn & Earn summer youth employment program opened today, the Learn & Earn Advisory Council has elected to close application support sites until further notice. Individuals seeking assistance to complete the application before support centers reopen should contact the Learn & Earn team at (412) 932-2950 or summer@partner4work.org. Additional resources, including video tutorials, will be posted online as soon as possible. Please be sure to visit jobs4summer.org for up-to-date information.

Adult workforce programs

In an abundance of caution, and in coordination with our partners at the state, we have elected to close the East and Downtown offices of PA CareerLink® until further notice. Our decision to close the sites was not made lightly; while the centers are closed to the public, the staff remains committed to providing critical workforce services to the community. We are working diligently to assemble virtual workshops, video coaching, and learning tools to share via CareerLinkPittsburgh.com. In the meantime, individuals may call (412) 552-7100 for the Downtown office or (412) 436-2225 for the East office with questions unrelated to unemployment compensation benefits. Individuals already connected with a career counselor should contact her/him directly via phone or email.

Similarly, and again with an abundance of caution, we have closed the Allegheny County EARN and Work Ready offices in McKeesport, Wilkinsburg, and Downtown until further notice. Participants already enrolled in EARN or Work Ready are encouraged to connect with their career advisor via email or phone.  

Unemployment compensation and other partners

Many of our partner organizations also have made adjustments to manage risk and potential spread.

JFCS, PHASE 4 Learning Center, Human Services Center Corp., Literacy Pittsburgh, and most other partner organizations have closed or adjusted service delivery models. The situation is changing quickly, and individuals should visit the website of any workforce or human services provider for the most up-to-date information.

While the safety of staff, clients, and the public at large is of primary concern, we know these actions have an economic effect on businesses, workers, and job seekers.

Workers who have been displaced, are under quarantine, have had hours reduced, or told not to report to work for fear of spreading the virus, may be eligible to receive unemployment compensation benefits. Individuals should apply for benefits online as dedicated phone lines within the PA CareerLink offices statewide have been disabled. Visit www.uc.pa.gov for more information, to apply online, and chat with a UC representative.

The state Department of Community and Economic Development, Labor and Industry, Small Business Administration, and other agencies are making available bridge programs, layoff aversion, rapid response, and other services to businesses during this time. The team at Partner4Work can assist in making referrals to appropriate agencies. Please contact Partner4Work at (412) 552-7090 or info@partner4work.org to learn more.  

While the situation is changing quickly, we are continuing to do our part to mitigate the spread and intensity of the outbreak while continuing to support area businesses, workers, job seekers, and youth during this unprecedented time. We will update our homepage (this page) as often as necessary to provide the most up-to-date information.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me or members of the Partner4Work team.

Please be well. 

Earl Buford, CEO