West Philadelphia Skills Initiative


The University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) is an employer driven, place-based workforce intermediary with a dual mission to support the specific human capital needs of West Philadelphia’s anchor institutions and mid-sized employers; and to connect West Philadelphians to opportunities for employment, advancement, and skill-building.

Historically, UCD has focused on commercial revitalization and enhancements to the physical environment: planning, capital improvements, greening, public safety, and public space maintenance. Recognizing the centrality of human capital to UCD’s mission, in the fall of 2009, UCD’s board approved the formation of the WPSI to improve access to the myriad job opportunities at West Philadelphia employers for community residents. UCD’s institutional partners include: the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Drexel University, Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of the Sciences. Non-institutional employers who have committed to the program include INTECH Construction and the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Areas of Focus


Job Mapping and System Mapping to define pathways into entry level and career ladder jobs across West Philadelphia’s institutional employers. We will also undertake a complimentary mapping exercise of West Philadelphia’s community organizations, social service agencies and public workforce entities involved in connecting neighborhood residents to jobs. This essentially addresses both the supply and demand sides of the talent equation with a goal of bridging the gap, helping job referral groups to better understand the skills and credentials required for career ladder jobs at the institutions, and assisting institutional hiring managers in better connecting to local talent pools.

A pilot Apprenticeship Program with West Philadelphia’s health care systems will leverage one of the great assets of institutional employers: tuition assistance. Employers, through WPSI, will recruit 18-24 year-olds into positions of high need, and pair a 24-hour work week with a health career focused, 16-hour, tuition-paid associate’s degree curriculum. Participants are paid a full-time salary and go to school part-time. At the end of the program, participants will have completed two years of paid work experience, and will have a marketable, portable credential to apply for permanent employment within Philadelphia’s strongest industry sector. The entire program is made possible by WPSI-raised funds that allow apprentices to receive a salary stipend for the time they spend in school.

Neighborhood Job Pipelines. Veterinary technicians at the University of Pennsylvania, medical assistants at West Philadelphia’s health systems, field service personnel at the University of the Sciences and carpenters at Drexel are among the many entry level jobs with career paths that we’ve identified as positions of high need at our partner employers. By working with departmental hiring managers across a number of institutions, we’ve embarked on designing a series of programs that will recruit, assess and offer basic skills training to West Philadelphia adults, with the intention of delivering work-ready candidates for specific job openings. Employers are particularly excited about the “shared service” model inherent in WPSI, allowing for economies of scale in outreach, skills development and job-specific training.

Youth Employment Network. In addition to 30 summer jobs slots provided directly by UCD, we’ve worked through WPSI to build a network of seven West Philadelphia employers who will participate in the Philadelphia Youth Network’s summer internship program. Through recruitment efforts, and by serving as an interface for employers to the public workforce system, WPSI is able to systemically expand the number of West Philadelphia organizations participating in pipeline programs. And, by partnering with the Netter Center at the University of Pennsylvania, we are actively creating new opportunities for more than 60 students at West Philadelphia High School, Sayre and University City High School.

Construction Trades Planning. University City institutions are among the biggest builders in the region, despite the down economy. With sustained, predictable construction comes the opportunity to allocate pre-apprenticeship slots for local residents. A planning grant has enabled us to partner with INTECH Construction to move forward on a strategy for a University City building trades alliance.

For more information

Contact Sheila Ireland, Director, West Philadelphia Skills Initiative at sheila@universitycity.org.