TCWIB, Inc. is accepting petitions to add occupations to the High Priority Occupation Demand (HPO) List. All applications must be received and/or post marked by May 8, 2009 (if dropping off at Tri-County Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (TCWIB) office, petitions/applications must be received by 4:30 PM) Attn: Melinda C. Schultheis, TCWIB, Inc. 112 Hollywood Drive, Suite #201, Butler, PA 16001. Petitions must be filed and approved by a local workforce investment board – do not send your petition directly to the state.

The application must be completed in Petition Format and have the required documentation attached (letters from employers indicating that there are 35 job openings per year for the next five years). Please refer to Regional HPO Petition and TCWIB HPO Petition Form.

To verify what occupations are considered High Priority Occupations and to determine if you need to file a petition to add an occupation to TCWIB’s HPO list, review to the Draft High Priority Occupations for the Tri-County Area, please refer to the Revised Draft 2009 HPO Lists (go to the Tri-County tab). Also please review the Draft 2009 HPO List PA to review current eleven (11) High Priority Clusters.

Occupations approved through the petition process will be added to TCWIB’s local list, which becomes effective July 1, 2009, for a period of FIVE years (previously 3 years). Any petition received after the May 8 deadline will not be reviewed by TCWIB until the June board meeting and will not make the state application deadline of June 3, 2009. All applications received by TCWIB by May 8 will be reviewed at the May 22 Board Meeting. All applications approved by the Tri-County Board will be forwarded to the state by the June 3 deadline.

Guidelines for the HPO process and other pertinent information can be found at http://www.paworkforce.state.pa.us/professionals/cwp/view.asp?a=467&q=152743.

Please call Melinda Schultheis at 724.282.9341 Ext. 33 or email mschultheis@tcwib.net with any questions.

THE NEW APPLICATION IS AVAILABLE FOR TRAINING PROVIDERS TO RE-APPLY FOR STATE CERTIFICATION.  Training Providers can apply through the o­n-line application located at www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us.

The Department will be utilizing a two-tier system in which High Priority Occupations will be emphasized in choosing training options. We are currently working with our System Developers to incorporate an enhancement that will identify courses/programs that relate to High Priority Occupations. However, the prior Local Demand Occupations will still be available in choosing training during PY 2005. These demand occupation lists are available through the Local Workforce Investment Area.

Beginning July 1, 2005 and ending June 30, 2006, Training Providers DO NOT NEED TO RE-APPLY for subsequent eligibility at this time. As stated in the Bureau of Workforce Development Partnership’s email dated 4/25/05, the application for courses/programs for the 2005 program year will not be available and the current statewide list of eligible training providers/programs will be grandfathered into program year 2005.