Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie McGinty proposed an increase in support for worker training, a larger apprenticeship program, and the restoration of $42 million in cuts to the job training system.

“We need to grow our economy to give hardworking Pennsylvania families the opportunity for a better life. Too many Pennsylvanians are looking for work. We need to invest in job training so workers have the skills that employers are demanding,” said McGinty, a former PA DEP Secretary.

Since 2010, Corbett has cut funds for job training by almost 30 percent. McGinty aims to restore this to support programs and initiatives that work toward her four basic goals:

• Training and retraining for dislocated workers

• Specialized training for those employees who need it

• Training programs in careers and vocations that will be considered high in demand in the state in the coming decade

• Improve apprenticeship programs

Focusing on improving those apprenticeship programs, McGinty said, “I will allocate $3 million to expand apprenticeship programs by offering $1,000 stipends to employers who create new apprenticeships. This would allow us to virtually triple enrollment in apprentice programs.”

According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1,890 Pennsylvanians completed an apprenticeship in 2013. It has also been shown that on average a worker who goes through and completes apprenticeship training earns $300,000 or more throughout his or her lifetime than the worker who chose to go without.

As an example of where McGinty has had previous success in this area, her campaign cited her “Reading Works!” initiative from her time as DEP Secretary. The program was designed to help Reading High School students not only obtain a diploma, but also to move on to apprentice and work in Reading where the city needed it most.

“We need apprenticeship programs to meet the needs of advanced manufacturing, allied health, biotechnology, building trades, and environmental controls—areas of our economy that are expanding. We can do this by bringing new partners to the table—high-tech and manufacturing employers, vocational schools and community colleges—to develop work-based learning programs that give our young people the education and experience that they need to fill these good-paying jobs,” said McGinty.

Additionally, McGinty wants to expand online job training. This, she believes, will allow Pennsylvanians in more rural areas greater access to job training and career certification programs.

The gubernatorial hopeful proposes to do this through the Pennsylvania Network for Research and Education. This high-speed network is now available to universities, hospitals, schools, libraries and local governments across the Commonwealth. When combined with the capacity of Pennsylvania’s Public Television Stations, it is possible to reach into the furthest corners of Pennsylvania to benefit the most people.

McGinty’s proposal to expand online training encompasses three parts:

• Provide $3 million for the state’s higher education system, including community colleges, to partner with public television stations to produce online job training programs delivered through the public television stations.

• Partner with the federal Appalachian Regional Commission to offer online job training programs throughout areas of Pennsylvania covered by that commission.

• Collaborate with neighboring states, particularly New York, Maryland and Ohio to create an online education academy, similar to the Western Governor’s University, to offer vocational and career education to residents.

McGinty managed to make it onto the ballot for Pennsylvania governor with just over 5,000 signatures earlier this week. With fellow former PA DEP Secretary John Hanger dropping out of the race today, McGinty now faces former Auditor General Jack Wagner, Rep. Allyson Schwartz, former Secretary of Revenue Tom Wolf and State Treasurer Rob McCord.