Lancaster: On Wednesday, February 17, the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County hosted US Senator Robert Casey as he visited Lancaster County to find out more information about the affect of stimulus money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Executive Director Scott Sheely of the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board spoke with Casey about new learning about service delivery that came from the stimulus investments, including the absolute necessity of including workforce readiness in the system, connecting adult basic education and English as second language to skill training, and using shorter-term training courses in the programming mix.

With the help of PA CareerLink staff, Sheely and PA CareerLink Site Administrator Lori Rank talked to the Senator about the community investments that have been made in youth programs, Ready2Work, pre-employment training, Individual Training Acccounts, and Job Club. Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray explained the joint City-WIB program to provide contruction training to young people while rehabilitating houses in the City. Casey visited Ready2Work and spoke to young people who are participants in the Winter Employment Program.

Following an abbreviated tour of the PA CareerLink, Senator Casey met the press and spent nearly an hour with representatives of other Lancaster County organizations that received ARRA funding.