No single company can solve today's workforce challenges alone.
Career Ready Lancaster! can help your industry create solutions to shared workforce challenges.
Industry partnerships transform individual efforts into coordinated solutions with broader and more sustainable impact.
Turning Challenges into Opportunities
We can help bring employers together with educators, workforce development organizations, economic development partners, labor representatives, and community organizations to address shared workforce challenges.
Many successful industry partnerships begin with something simple: a group of employers who recognize they face similar workforce challenges and are willing to work together to address them. Competition for talent will always exist. But when employers focus only on recruiting from the same limited pool of workers, everyone is competing for the same candidates. The goal isn’t to divide the same pie into smaller pieces. The goal is to make the pie bigger.
Trade and professional associations are among the most visible examples of successful industry partnerships. These organizations harness the collective energy of their members to develop talent pipelines, create training opportunities, and address common workforce needs. However, industry partnerships do not need to be formal associations. They can begin with a small group of committed industry leaders who share a dedication to their companies, their industry, and their community.
Key Objectives
Career Ready Lancaster! will expand and strengthen industry partnerships by engaging employers committed to workforce development and creating clear opportunities for new organizations to participate
Build one new industry partnership over the next 6 months, aligned with Workforce 2030 goals.
CRL! will build an industry partnership that does not currently or formally exist locally. Aligned with Workforce 2030, the industry will be selected based on employer demand, workforce data, and partner readiness.
Share an industry partnership framework to expand industry partnerships across industries.
We will test the framework with a small group of employers or partners, gather feedback, and revise it before sharing it through broader networks.
Highlight The Best Practices For Building Industry Partnerships
CRL! will facilitate the development of best practices. We will identify which lessons are industry-specific and which may be adapted for other sectors in future cycles.
Industry Partnership in Action
Manufacturing Association
The Manufacturers' Association of South Central Pennsylvania recently received a $350,000 state Industry Partnership Grant to strengthen manufacturing workforce development across the region, including Lancaster County. The initiative focuses on talent attraction, training, technology adoption, and employer collaboration, demonstrating the power of industry-led solutions. [macentralpa.org].
Team & Advisors
Guided by a dedicated team and trusted advisors, Career Ready Lancaster! is working across sectors to turn these objectives into measurable progress and lasting impact.
Anna Ramos
President & CEO
Lancaster County Workforce Development Board
Carrie McCullough
Chief Operating Officer & Equal Opportunity Officer
Lancaster County Workforce Development Board
Samantha Sweigert
Programs & Innovation Coordinator
Lancaster County Workforce Development Board
Felicia Kriscuinas
Project Manager for Workforce Initiatives
Lancaster County Workforce Development Board
Kimberley Patrick
Facilitator
Career Ready Lancaster!
Community Partners and Beneficiaries
Finalized content will be distributed through CRL! Employer networks and channels, and will benefit industry stakeholders.
Become The Solution
We invite employers, educators, workforce partners, and community leaders to help turn these initiatives into action. If there is an initiative that you are especially passionate about, or all of them, we welcome your involvement