Working with young people to better understand workforce development landscape
Young people bring so much to their communities, but they’re often left out of important conversations and decisions. The University of Pittsburgh and The Heinz Endowments want to change that by teaming up with young people from the Pittsburgh area to help shape programs that support early career journeys. There’s a ton of workforce data out there right now—and the people behind the numbers should have a chance to use that info to tell their own stories, spark conversations, ask better questions, gather new insights, and make it work for them.
Workforce development helps young adults build skills, explore careers, and get connected to jobs and opportunities for the future. In this workshop series, we’ll work together to build confidence in reading and using data about workforce development in the region. Along the way, we’ll challenge ourselves to think about how data is used, what it really means, and how it can be interpreted in different ways. We’ll also get to know the organizations offering career and job opportunities—and even create and run a survey for other young people to hear more voices and perspectives.
As part of the first group to go through this series, you’ll have a chance to shape how it grows by sharing your feedback—and there may be more ways to stay involved down the line!
The Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center (WPRDC) is an organization that helps people find and use data. WPRDC is housed at the University of Pittsburgh and is also a partnership with the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County local government. We also work to help people feel more confident using data.
The Heinz Endowments is a local foundation that seeks to help our region thrive as a whole and just community and, through that work, to model solutions to major national and global challenges. We are devoted to advancing our vision of southwestern Pennsylvania as a vibrant center of creativity, learning, and social, economic, and environmental sustainability where everyone can prosper and belong.
We are looking for people who are age 18-24 and live in Allegheny County. There will be 10 virtual workshops and peer learning opportunities in Spring and Summer 2025. Workshops will last about 2 hours. In them, we’ll explore data about the workforce and economy, look at all of the organizations that are working to support young people as they prepare for a career, and develop, conduct, and analyze a survey that can provide us with important information about young people’s experiences as they transition into a career.
Participants will receive a stipend for participating in this project.
We will benefit from gaining insight into your experience and expertise. Your feedback will help us better understand what it is like for young people deciding what to do after high school. Your participation and perspective will help inform and shape programs that are designed to help people begin their careers.