LANDISBURG, Pa. – Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Nancy A. Walker visited the LEAF Project Home Farm in Perry County today, where young Pennsylvanians are earning paychecks and building agricultural skills through a state-registered pre-apprenticeship program, to highlight how Governor Josh Shapiro’s newly-signed bipartisan 2026-27 budget is expanding workforce training and creating pathways to good-paying careers.
During the visit, pre-apprentices and youth crew members demonstrated how that training translates into real-world experience, from vegetable production and pest management to post-harvest food safety, budgeting, marketing and food distribution. Their work reflect Governor Shapiro’s commitment to respecting every path to success and helping Pennsylvanians turn hands-on learning into meaningful careers.
Governor Shapiro’s bipartisan 2026-27 budget builds on that commitment by increasing career and technical education funding by $10 million. With that increase, Pennsylvania’s annual investment in workforce development initiatives — including CTE, vo-tech, registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships — has grown from $118 million before Governor Shapiro took office to $193 million today, a 60 percent increase.
“Governor Shapiro understands that Pennsylvania’s economic future depends on preparing people for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Secretary Walker. “At LEAF, young people are earning a paycheck while learning how to grow food, operate a business, solve problems and lead a team. That is what effective workforce development looks like: real experience, recognized skills and a pathway to a meaningful career.”
In July 2025, the Shapiro Administration awarded the LEAF Project $144,644 through L&I’s Supporting Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Sector through Apprenticeships and Pre-Apprenticeship grant initiative. The funding supports paid employment, leadership development and hands-on agricultural training for young people ages 14 to 18. Since its founding in 2013, LEAF has employed 191 people and provided more than 98,000 hours of youth workforce training.
"Every day, I get the privilege of working alongside motivated, inspired, and hardworking young people who are feeding their community while developing their leadership skills - and seeing themselves as an essential part of our community and the food system,” said Heidi Witmer, LEAF Founder and Executive Director. “Employment-based apprenticeships like LEAF open doors for talented youth, especially those from non-farming families, to see themselves as leaders in Pennsylvania's food system. This is how we cultivate the next generation of leaders."
LEAF is an early host site for Pasa Sustainable Agriculture’s state-registered Diversified Vegetable Pre-Apprenticeship. Pasa Sustainable Agriculture is a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that supports sustainable farms and equitable food systems through farmer-led education, research, technical assistance and community partnerships.
Pasa provides the program’s curriculum and administrative support, while host organizations such as LEAF recruit, employ, train and supervise participants. Since Governor Shapiro took office in 2023, the Shapiro Administration has invested nearly $1 million in Pasa Sustainable Agriculture through two L&I apprenticeship grants, helping expand agricultural training, strengthen host-site partnerships and connect more Pennsylvanians with career pathways in farming and the food system.
“Apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships are an important tool in building the next generation of the agricultural workforce in Pennsylvania,” said Dan Dalton, PASA Director for Technical Assistance, Training, Outreach & Development. “Through structured, certified training programs we are able to provide apprentices and pre-apprentices with comprehensive training experiences that prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of modern, diversified agricultural production."
Registered pre-apprenticeships provide structured instruction, hands-on experience and supportive services that prepare participants to enter registered apprenticeships, continue their education or pursue employment. Established in 2016, L&I’s Apprenticeship and Training Office guides and promotes the expansion and compliance of registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs across Pennsylvania.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, please visit the website or follow L&I on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
# # #