Many small local businesses have been hit very hard by the pandemic, but they’re holding on and some even have some exciting news to share with the community:

Lil Pop Shop Partners with Weckerly’s Ice Cream

From left to right: Weckerly’s owners Andy Satinsky and Jen Weckerle, and Lil Pop Shop owner Jeanne Chang (Photo by Megan Kelly).

West Philly’s Lil Pop Shop and Fishtown’s Weckerly’s Ice Cream, have recently announced a new partnership. Starting this Friday, April 16, Lil Pop Shop customers will be able to enjoy a variety of scoops and other ice cream treats from Weckerly’s. Over in Fishtown, Weckerly’s flagship shop (9 W. Girard Ave.) will offer a selection of Lil Pop Shop’s small-batch fruit and cream based-pops. Continue Reading

Here’s some great news from University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI), an award-winning workforce development program founded in 2009.

• Philadelphia residents who are interested in becoming a bus operator are welcome to apply for a new job training program with WPSI and SEPTA. The Skills Initiative is recruiting customer-service “superstars” who have had a valid driver’s license for at least the last three years, who have open schedule availability, and who possess an interest in growing a career at SEPTA.  Continue Reading

The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative has launched recruitment for a new job training program in partnership with PIDC’s Navy Yard Workforce Development Initiatives. This is their first collaborative professional development program that will train West and South Philadelphia residents for permanent, full-time, quality-wage careers.

Four Seasons Total Landscaping, a certified women-owned business founded in 1992, is the first employer partner at the Navy Yard to participate in the program. It will offer opportunities for graduates to interview for laborer positions starting at $14/hour.

The program is a cohort-based training model that will blend virtual courses and in-person sessions (with high COVID-19 safety compliance) to train for two roles: Grounds Maintenance Laborers earning $14/hour, and Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Laborers earning $18.98/hour.  Continue Reading

The University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative is again partnering with Drexel University to offer a new no-cost Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) training program for Philadelphia residents.

Aspiring EMTs will be trained for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam. This 13-week training program will be a blend of virtual courses and in-person sessions following CDC COVID-19 regulations at Drexel University. Participants will receive $150 weekly stipends while enrolled in this free program. Masks will be provided for in-person sessions if needed. The program will conclude with an in-person administration of the NREMT exam.  Continue Reading

University City District’s award-winning program, West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, which helps unemployed West Philly residents connect with local employers seeking talent, has been on hiatus since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. But here’s some great news: the program is launching its first virtual training.

The Skills Initiative in partnership with Drexel University will train aspiring Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam. Unlike the majority of Skills Initiative training programs, this cohort will serve all Philadelphia residents, regardless of zip code.  Continue Reading

The University City Science Center is launching a free STEM job training for their workforce development program with a particular interest in recruiting participants from West Philadelphia. This is part of the Science Center’s effort to create greater access to and new pathways into family-sustaining STEM jobs for under- and unemployed Philadelphians.

As part of this new program, the Science Center is now accepting applications for the first cohort of trainees for their free STEM job training program – “Building an Understanding of Lab Basics (BULB)”. The program is open to Philadelphians age 18 or older with a high school degree or GED interested in science, technology, engineering and/or math (STEM) field. Applications close on Monday, June 29.  Continue Reading