Marysville, PA – Today, Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Nancy A. Walker met with a group of high school students with disabilities working for the Borough of Marysville this summer as part of L&I’s MY Work program. Created by L&I’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR), MY Work connects students across Pennsylvania with meaningful, paid work opportunities right in their own communities. Students with disabilities who have a paid work experience before graduation are four times more likely to become employed in the competitive workforce upon graduation, and that’s one of the many reasons why Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2026-27 budget calls for an additional $1 million investment for OVR.
"Watching these students take pride in their work and the impact they're making in Marysville is a powerful reminder of what happens when we invest in opportunity. Through MY Work, these young people aren't just earning a paycheck – they're gaining confidence, strengthening their communities, and discovering what's possible for their futures,” said Secretary Walker. “That's why Governor Shapiro is committed to investing in programs like MY Work, so more Pennsylvanians with disabilities have the opportunity to succeed in the workforce and beyond."
The students working for the borough this summer are spending eight weeks building valuable job skills while making a visible difference in their community. From cleaning concession stands at five ball fields to landscaping public spaces to painting over graffiti and refreshing an overlook along the Susquehanna River, their work is leaving a lasting impact. Their efforts are part of a milestone year for MY Work: for the first time, more than 1,000 students are participating at more than 250 MY Work sites in all 67 Pennsylvania counties.
OVR started the MY Work program back in 2016 in Allegheny County with just 50 students in its first year. In 2021, the program was expanded statewide, and since then has connected more than 2,600 high school students across Pennsylvania with paid summer employment opportunities – with wages fully covered by OVR at no cost to municipalities.
Each year, OVR engages with more than 76,000 students and adults with disabilities across all programs. Last year, nearly 18,000 students with disabilities received Pre-Employment Transition Services – including paid work-based learning experiences like MY Work – and OVR placed more than 6,400 individuals into competitive integrated employment.
Since taking office, Governor Shapiro has made investing in Pennsylvania’s workforce and advocating for Pennsylvanians with disabilities a cornerstone of his Administration. His proposed budget looks to build upon three years of historic progress by:
- Investing an additional $18 million in CTE and apprenticeship programs;
- Doubling Schools-to-Work funding to $7 million; and
- Increasing Industry Partnership grants by $3.5 million to $6.3 million.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, please visit the website or follow L&I on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
Note: The Pennsylvania Vocational Rehabilitation program receives 78.7 percent of its funding through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. For federal fiscal year 2025, the total amount of federal grant funds awarded was $163,789,270. The remaining 21.3 percent of the costs ($44,329,243) were funded by state appropriations or another non-federal allowable source.
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