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.

With the help of PA CareerLink staff, Executive Director Scott Sheely of the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board 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.

Lancaster: SCORE and ASSETS are two not-for profit, Lancaster-based organizations that together for more than 60 years have been teaching and counseling prospective small business owners and those who want to be. The two organizations have teamed together to co-sponsor FIRST

STEP FastTrac® - a 12 week course that teaches and guides those who dream of owning their own small business. For a downloadable brochure, click here or for a downloadable application, click here. To register, contact Maria Iniesta at (717) 393-6089 or by fax at (717) 509-3506 or SCORE at (717) 397-3092.

In each course, you will learn the fundamentals of business management. Upon graduation, you will be better prepared to meet the demands of owning your own business. All courses include lectures, handouts and individual and group mentoring, coaching and counseling.

These programs run from March 4 through May 18, 2010. Programs take place at the Earl B. Hess Training Center, located at the ASSETS building at 237 North Prince Street, Lancaster, PA. Free parking is available. Tuition is based on household income, starting at $75 for the entire course. Tuition reimbursement scholarships are available for some individuals from low to moderate income households. Program underwriting is made possible by grants from Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authority.

Lancaster: Currently, the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County has a variety of classes that are available to help Lancaster County residents gain valuable training for the jobs that have been identified as the first that will be filled as the economic recover begins. All pre-employment training classes are free of charge. They directly correlate to the 100 Hot Jobs for Lancaster County.

One of the newest programs is for computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine operators. This free training program consists a total of 135 hours of both on-line and hands-on training. Normally, it would normally cost $3,500 if paid out of pocket. However, this program is being offered free of charge and is being conducted by the Lancaster County Career & Technology Center through the PA CareerLink.

Seating is limited for this valuable training program, so do not delay, call Dave Stauffer today at 717-989-0644 or email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Lancaster: Fifteen graduates of the Ready2Work program at the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County were selected to participate in a weatherization class at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology to help people of Lancaster County use energy more efficiently and stay warm this winter. Graduates will be hired by State-approved weatherization contractors that provide FREE insulation and weather-proofing services to eligible residents using Stimulus funding. These services could help cut utility bills as much as 30%!

Cory Andrew (pictured here) is an instructor at Thaddeus Stevens College and has over 15 years in the construction field specializing in remodeling, renovations and restorations. He has worked at Thaddeus Stevens since 2000, and is helping students prepare to take on the elements and keep Lancaster County residences warm this winter.