Okay good afternoon everyone it's great to be here at um bristol at the career link is bucksco knee and I'm proud to be joining with Commissioner rob blocker and members of the bucks County workforce development board. Stephanie black President, bucks County community College, right around the corner here and all of you and I would also like to acknowledge the leadership John flanagan and all the bucks County workforce development board and the members who made it possible to be here today to present this and right now, as many of you are aware, in the United States, there is roughly six point five million unfilled jobs in this country Um one of the um manifestation of fastly growing uh growth which we've seen is that there is a skills gap that results in jobs being on field and that's really what this is about today. Um, whether it's access to child care, transportation of the necessary skills and education to land a better opportunity. We know the realities preventing people from finding a better job and here in bucks County as a case around the nation substantive training and apprenticeship programs are integral to good paying jobs and this is especially important as we Witness many traditional retail opportunities disappear for a whole host of reasons. We must ensure that our work forces has the necessary skills to compete in a 20 first century economy and that's why I'm pleased to announce that the us Department of labor came through for us uh here in bucks County for the bucks County workforce, development board and it's a rapidly one point seven, little bit more than one point seven million dollars to provide education and work based learning opportunities for dislocated workers in our community and the bucks County were forced to The board is one of only two development boards out of all 67 counties in Pennsylvania to receive this so these things are not easy to get uh we're really thrilled, because we needed here in bucks County as you all know, this funny will Smith, as funny, will specifically assist hard working Americans whose careers due to no fault of their own, have been dislocated or hoo sectors have seen a decline and services provided in Congress. We have made it several of us that are part of this Commission uh in August have made it our priority to deal with this piece of the economic puzzle um. We always talk about how the three Head in monster veteran Ahmed growth is finding the support and with taxes finding that point of equilibrium with regulations not too much, not too little and that third very important piece of the puzzle um is workforce, training and development. Um and one of the things we try to focus on is closing. That skills gap a big piece of it is the uh the drug epidemic and dealing with that because the number one reason for inability to find a job or unfilled jobs in the building to pass a drug test the second reason is the skills gap which Is what this is about just a few pieces of legislation. Um that we introduced last year introduce the apprenticeship and jobs, training act which is the bipartisan bill that gives employers business related tax credits to do and how simply training and we must provide our employers are workers in our students with the resources to thrive and succeed and there's no better time to do it right now, with our economy growing going from one point six percent for a long time to two point seven percent last year to four point two percent last quarter the This is the time to strike while the iron is hot so I think we'll get to the presentation here. Uh and then we'll light some of our colleagues here for some brief remarks. What's the protocol, mister loan, oh okay, there you go rob neck tee in their case. One of the market yeah. We do want the money, but um. Thank you congressman and uh. You know it's great to have Brian representing us in Congress and to be an advocate for, for bucks County and for the priorities of this County um. We have a great working relationship with With Brian and with all of our legislators here in the state and local level, as one of the unique, I think things about bucks County is the way we partner federal state and local to make things happen and workforce development has been a priority of ours over the last couple of years and I would say that sort of before that I don't wanna say it wasn't a priority, but when it came to economic development, we seem to be focus on a lot of different things um you know good things. You know. Financing and tax credits and tax incentives um, but through the last couple of years Having our ear to the ground in the workforce, development board in the career link in the community College and all of our partners hearing from the businesses and from the employers. Um they're struggling their challenge with finding skilled workers to help them do what they do and and to make products in the manufacture and all the wonderful things that are happening here in bucks County so um. We know that this isn't just a challenge in the County is a challenge in the commonwealth to challenge in the country right now um and so to get this Grant to be one of them of you in the in this region. Let alone Handful across the country speaks volumes about this board and the team that is here in the second come up and tell us a little bit about how this is gonna be put in the place. But I just wanna recognized John flan again, then it's Jones who's the chairman of the board stefaney shabazz. Our community College President and also on this board and the other board members, just today. It's being a more federal money. We allocated another hundred thousand dollars from our community development block Grant funds to continue with our metal jobs, training program that has been A huge success, um and even additional money for I think, for a forklift for the certification program and so we're we're on this and we can't thank the congressman enough for being an advocate for us in this application. Uh this is this is big money and this is going to do a lot of good to help us get um employers um the employees that they need and more importantly, the employers the skills that they need to work to have family sustaining jobs which is the end of the day, is what makes our communities as great as they are in bucks County, so we're thrilled by this. Thank you very much um we're looking forward to the next application that we You know um and that's in the works it's in the works and continuing on that. So we just wanna thank the congressman for that and uh. We look forward to put this to work. Um literally to help others get to work so with that. I'm just gonna hand it over to johns and you can say of you, things about it's about the great things Commissioner, authority and foremost I'd like to thank congressman patrick's office con congressman with Patrick um, Commissioner, luxury for their support um they're Congress, both timeless advocates for workforce development and the board in the work that we do in the County so we're Grateful to have them on our side, um you know the retail sector right now. You when you talk about all of these, you know all these open positions and for the first time in a long time that I can remember as an adult. You know this country in bucks County is no different. You know there's more jobs for a job opportunities and there are people to fill them so we're in kind of an interesting and unique situation. I'm about the only the only industry sector that that really isn't accounting for is the retail sector in this County alone, in the last year we've seen about a thousand off in the retail sector, so what do we do with those folks that have been dislocated through downsizing through kind of no fault of their own, so we have got the opportunity Quality to to leverage a really large piece of human capital and assist them in moving into possibly a different career. You know we're gonna focus on advance manufacturing in the fields we're going to certainly leverage. What uh doctor black the community College does with their metal works and industrial maintenance trainings. When you look at average wages for the manufacturing and it sector, they are certainly life-sustaining and it's certainly a better path to a family, sustaining wage, so we're we're excited to do it. We hope The train, as many as 200 people I'm not just with subsidizing their training and their on the job training, but providing some of those supportive services at the congressman, was talking about child care. Transportation, things we would like to eliminate any barriers that anybody has to going to work on a day to day basis um I've said it anybody who's heard me talk I've said this a lot of times. It really is no better social program and getting a job. We take that serious here at the workforce development board in the career link and that's what we intend to do um I would like to take a minute to recognize our partners here at the um Department of labor and industry uh Who provide some of our services to dislocated workers. Um. We all do a great job. We are all in very close partnership. We all have a goal of what I've seen people walk in the front door without a job and walking back out the front door with the job so we are excited and we couldn't be more happy to have this award from the us Department of labor and again. Thank congressman that patrick's in his office for our support and the Commissioner, as well. Thank you very much Why would just close by saying it is it is a real pleasure for me to be here. I know all three of these gentlemen, is very well um and what's so unique is the way we all work together. Uh we truly see ourselves as a full partner in the economic and workforce development of bucks County uh. I know that Commissioner luxury this has been sort of his and I wanna say soap box, but it's been his thing federal for awhile um. I know the congressman cares deeply that everyone here at the in the County um has a family sustaining wage and I certainly know that John cares very deeply about that are role Is to actually realize this when we have, we all have ideas right, but our role at the College is to get these people trained, whether it's short term training our longer term training, whether it's in it or healthcare advance, manufacturing, we have programs in all those areas so we can help folks wherever they like to go and and so I'm just honored to be up here with all of you and to know that we will do our very best to work as a partner with all of them to ensure that this money is well spent and that everyone who goes to The program can actually get a job and that is our goal in the end, it so, thank you for having me and thanks for all of your work, all three of you, on this. This is a big deal for bucks County so congratulations to all of you. Thank you for stopped This is just one of our clowes by Santa will have the after the presentation here in a second and disrupt point out. Hopefully there is more to come gotta give us time this is this is a lot of work for me. Tell you from introducing and passing legislation of dealing with constituents. You know, services with agencies is the third very important piece of the puzzle the job and I will tell you one thing that I've learned in my very brief time down there year and a half is how, in arlington and related so many different things are when it comes to better in your community, preserving snap benefits for things I bucks County opportunity Council on growing harvesting all these amazing organizations. We have here focusing on mental health. Um and depression anxiety and suicide focusing on the drug epidemic. So much of that is linked in my view, to having a light at the end of the tunnel, knowing that things are going to be better tomorrow than they are today. That hope that's the common thread that I see so much and so many of the different plates that we're trying to take on in our community and having a job is so important right, having a self sustaining job other people are prideful and that that has a living wage uh the people can sustain their family the intrinsic value of that forget about the The benefits intrinsic value is so important to the mentality which leads to other successes and uh that's been the big. You know, coming from law enforcement now being in policy for the first time that it has been the biggest lesson learn the biggest wake up call is none of these things are unrelated they're all interconnected and all need to be advance and we'll see if we wanna make this is great, of the communities. We can so when we come here at your This is work that so I gotta hand it to Robert get ahead of the challenge you know there. You go don't what is that come on. You know you get a little bit no yeah, no Thank you. Thank you. Yeah very much Okay, yeah, where to come