High Priority Occupation Article: Carl Wilgus - President of the Pocono Mountains Visitor Bureau is Chairing our efforts to get travel, tourism and hospitality jobs categorized as High Priority Occupations. Before the holidays a number of stakeholders, including the Pennsylvania Association of Travel & Tourism met with the Department of Labor and here is a summary of that meeting: Great news, our industrys efforts to get tourism jobs categorized as High Priority Occupation (HPO) gained a major foothold late in 2013 with the first ever development of a Hospitality, Leisure, and Entertainment Industry Cluster. This cluster caters to tourism and recreation employment in hotels, restaurants, casinos, golf courses museums, racetracks, caterers and more. The Department of Labor has been defining industry clusters since 2004 as the basis for data-driven workforce development policies. Initially there were nine clusters; with the addition of the Hospitality, Leisure and Entertainment (HLE) cluster that number now stands at twelve. It is worth noting that 1 out of every 10 Pennsylvanians are employed in this cluster. Achieving this cluster designation is the critical first step in securing the coveted HPO status. How to Achieve HPO Achieving HPO status requires identification of occupations that are: In demand by employers Pay a family-sustaining wage (currently $31,650 annual) and; Has high skill requirement Why HPO Designation is Important The designation of positions as HPO are important in that they guide the allocation of many federal training dollars, including Workforce Investment Act funds through individual training accounts, and Economic Development Stipend Program which fund community colleges and equipment funding for career and technical centers. Current HLE Clusters Currently two occupations within the HLE cluster are designed HPO they are gaming dealer and supervisors - food preparation and serving workers. How to Apply Application to extend this HPO to other occupations requires filing of a High-Priority Occupation Petition with the Department of Labor. This can be done at a statewide or regional level. A regional request would go through local Workforce Investment Boards. For example if new job opportunities exist and/or an industry partnership is available the Department of Labor can award an HPO on a regional basis. Next Steps If you have an idea of an industry occupation that you feel should be considered for HPO status, please provide Rob Fulton with that information. We are hopeful to apply for HPO status for several occupations, but we need your help. It would be advisable to visit with key industry employers in your region to determine what needs they may have. Remember that family sustaining wage and demand by employers drive this process. Now that we have our foot in the door, it is time to take advantage of the opportunity to establish more tourism occupations with HPO status. Rob Fulton President Pennsylvania Association of Travel and Tourism (PATT) [email protected] 717-90-0251 Carl Wilgus President - Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau Chair of HPO Taskforce [email protected] 570-421-5791
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 14:54:03 +0000
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