At the heart of Career Ready Lancaster! is educating and sharing the multitude of career opportunities right here in Lancaster County. From inspiring young people seeking their first job, to helping high school grads navigate their “next steps”, to assisting experienced workers on their career path journey, the Career Pathways Directory is a tool designed to highlight local opportunities and to help users navigate the various levels of education or training needed for careers that are in high demand in Lancaster County. The interactive guide includes links to help people explore occupation and industry information, connect to training, and get to know local businesses through an interactive career exploration program called Edge Factor ( link)
The Lancaster County Workforce Development Board produced The Pathways Directory in partnership with CRL!, to inspire readers to explore jobs and industries they may not have considered in the past. Career paths can take many turns and directions. The Pathways Directory hopes to empower people to continue to Learn and Work in Lancaster County and envision new career possibilities, using data that may provide meaningful insights into new career options.
Why is it important for people to understand pathways in various industries? Covid-19 was a recent example of variants that happen outside of our control that can affect our local economy and workforce. Some industries such as construction and hospitality and food service came to a halt during the pandemic and left workers idling, while others such as transportation and logistics and information technology saw an increase in productivity.
Understanding how occupations expand and contract and how they relate to one another, can provide important information and insights into an employee’s transferrable skills. Having information about industry trends can help people move more effectively from one industry to another during tumultuous times, with a bigger picture of employment possibilities in the background. The more agile workers can be, keeping their skills and education relevant, the more advancement opportunities open across industries.
Recommended for use by teachers, students, jobseekers and career advisors, the Career Pathways Directory represents a visual menu of opportunities available right here in Lancaster County. From Live Entertainment to Manufacturing or from Healthcare to Law and Justice, businesses rely on a healthy pipeline of workers who have a variety of skills and talents to help them grow and retain their business. This in turn feeds a healthy local economy which makes Lancaster, PA a great place to live!
