People’s Emergency Center (PEC) and Brightside Academy announced a new partnership to fast track individuals looking to break into the early childhood education field. The goal of the innovative employment strategy is to provide employment opportunities and create highly-skilled employees that are encouraged to continue an employment and educational journey in early childhood education.

PEC’s Center for Employment and Training (CET) will recruit individuals interested in this career path and prepare them for the program with five weeks of Professional Development Training, which provides an overview of critical employment skills applicable to every field, such as time management, effective communications, working on teams, presentations, and more. CET will also assist with resume building, interview skills, attire, transportation, child care, connections to resources, and assistance applying for the CDA voucher from the state of Pennsylvania.  Continue Reading

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation is hiring dozens of lifeguards for this summer. This is a great opportunity for local youth seeking summer employment. People as young as 15 years old can apply for this job and attend training, but must be 16 years or older to work as a lifeguard for the City of Philadelphia.

The starting salary for this job is $13.65 an hour. All applicants must pass the lifeguard screening and complete 21.5 hours of lifeguard training, First Aid and CPR.

The screening is free, and appointments are not necessary.  Continue Reading

University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative is offering a new job training opportunity for local residents. Applications are being accepted through March 29 for a training program with University of Pennsylvania that will prepare individuals for entry-level, Science Lab Helper jobs.

The program is recruiting individuals with a wide range of prior experiences in janitorial work, housekeeping, labor and science labs. Program graduates will have the opportunity to earn a stipend while in training and receive on-the-job training at the University of Pennsylvania, earning $15/hour.  Continue Reading

The University City District (UCD), the University City Science Center and Drexel University have been awarded a $5 million grant from the Lenfest Foundation to expand programs that train and place unemployed West Philadelphia residents in jobs, including UCD’s nationally-acclaimed job training program, the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative.

The program will connect nearly 600 previously unemployed residents to careers over three years and will reportedly result in over $16 million in wages generated in the community. More than 200 adults and high school students in West Philadelphia will also attain credentials, certifications, and exposure to STEM careers, setting them on meaningful pathways to employment.

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University City District’s award-winning job training program, The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, is recruiting a new cohort of trainees for a program that includes a guaranteed job interview with a local landscaping company. From Jan. 3rd through the 26th, the program will be recruiting unemployed West Philadelphia residents for a training program with BrightView Landscapes LLC.

BrightView is a commercial landscaping company that holds over 80 percent of the landscaping contracts in University City.  Continue Reading

University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative is currently recruiting local residents for a job training program with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The program will prepare individuals to be Patient Sitters with the nationally renowned hospital.

The Skills Initiative is seeking applicants who possess a high school diploma or GED, are currently unemployed, and live in the West Philadelphia zip codes of 19104, 19131, 19139, 19143, or 19151.

Applicants should have professional experience working with children. Program graduates will have the opportunity to interview with CHOP, receive a performance-based stipend during the training, and learn the skills needed to successfully connect to employment and a fulfilling career path.  Continue Reading