Title
Acknowledging and commending the University of Pennsylvania, LF Driscoll, the School District of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Building Trades Council for their establishment of the PennAssist Program-Bridging the Gap from High School to Building Trades, an unprecedented effort to promote and support City youth in their pursuit of careers in the building trades.
Body
WHEREAS, Penn Medicine is developing a new state-of-the-arts hospital to be known as the New Patient Pavilion in the University City area of the Third Council District in the City of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, The development of the hospital will provide significant economic opportunities for residents and businesses in the City of Philadelphia and the region; and
WHEREAS, Minority and women workers and minority and woman-owned businesses have often not had equal opportunity to work on construction projects occurring in the City; and
WHEREAS, The School District of Philadelphia Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in construction, are half empty because graduates have not been able to find work as apprentice or continue their building-trades education by getting into union apprenticeship programs; and
WHEREAS, In October 2016, the Director of the CTE program testified in Council that the District views City Council as an important partner and requested that Council advocate for the building-trade unions to partner with the District CTE programs to increase student access to the union apprenticeship programs; and
WHEREAS, The University of Pennsylvania, its construction manager LF Driscoll, the Philadelphia Building Trades Council and the School District of Philadelphia have collaborated to create the PennAssist Program to provide a pathway to union apprenticeship for graduates of CTE and other pre-apprenticeship programs, to promote workforce diversity on Penn construction projects and construction projects around the City; and
WHEREAS, Under the Program, ...
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