The mission of the Pennsylvania Chamber Foundation seeks to enrich discussions among policymakers, business leaders and the public concerning ways to improve Pennsylvania’s economy and business climate, and increase the competitive advantage of Pennsylvania businesses.
The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry Educational Foundation, dba PA Chamber Foundation, is a registered 501(c)(3) organization created to fund timely and insightful research, education and programs that will positively impact Pennsylvania’s economic future and enhance the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians. Past educational program topics include leadership training, workforce and innovation.
EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE
We’ve heard it from our member businesses, and two employer surveys we conducted over the last few years confirmed it — business owners have jobs to fill, but they can’t find qualified candidates who have the mix of skills and training they’re looking for. The PA Chamber wants to change that.
- 2016 Workforce Development Survey
- Highlights of the 2016 Workforce Development Survey
- 2013 Workforce Development Best Practices
In 2016, the PA Chamber Educational Foundation took a great first step toward this goal by hosting a Workforce Summit where Executive Producer and TV Host Mike Rowe lasered in on the skills gap and the need to change the perception that a four-year college career is necessarily the best path. Rowe’s talk inspired our organization to kick off a new initiative — Start the Conversation HERE — that aims to inform students about educational needs for in-demand jobs, and begin to align the skill set employers need with job candidates’ qualifications.
Start the Scholarships HERE— we have also partnered with the mikeroweWORKS Foundation to sponsor a program that rewards deserving students with scholarships toward post-secondary education in the skilled trades. Through donations from the Pennsylvania business community, your tax deductible scholarship donation not only helps students realize their goal of gaining a skilled trade, but your company also receives recognition for its generous support.
ANNUAL ECONOMIC SURVEY
The PA Chamber Educational Foundation produces the Annual Pennsylvania Economic Survey of member and non-member business executives and owners to seek important insight into economic trends, and action they say is needed for economic improvement. This is the annual survey that government officials, policy makers, legislators and the statewide media look to for understanding the business community’s concerns and recommendations.