Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced a new round of grants totaling $3.5 million in PAsmart grants to 17 organizations, expanding access to high-quality career pathways in the advanced manufacturing, construction, digital technology and energy sectors. This investment builds on Governor Josh Shapiro’s success in boosting Pennsylvania’s investment in Career and Technical Education, allowing learners across the Commonwealth to chart their own course to success – starting before they even graduate from high school.
“Every student deserves the opportunity to discover what inspires them and prepare for a future they choose,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe. “Career and Technical Education helps learners connect what they’re learning today with the opportunities waiting for them tomorrow. These grants will expand access to high-quality programs that equip students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to succeed in high-demand careers across Pennsylvania.”
Governor Shapiro’s 2026-27 budget builds on his Administration’s work to align workforce investments with in-demand jobs and increases funding for CTE by another $10 million, bringing the total spent on workforce development initiatives to $193 million – a 60 percent increase compared to before Governor Shapiro took office. The result has been nearly 4,000 more students enrolling in CTE courses and expansion of Pennsylvania’s apprenticeship opportunities through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I), which has approved 266 new registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs – many of which are offered through CTE courses in Pennsylvania schools.
Additionally, recent updates to the School Code signed into law by Governor Shapiro provide new flexibility for CTE students by allowing them to complete their end-of-program assessments (NOCTI or NIMS) before their 12th-grade year. Previously, students were required to take these competency exams in 12th grade; now they may complete them earlier.
The Center for Workforce Information and Analysis at the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry has projected that by 2028, there will be about 157,000 more occupations in Pennsylvania that require mathematics knowledge (representing 65 percent of all employment in the commonwealth), and about 125,000 more occupations that require knowledge in computers and electronics (representing 54 percent of all employment).
These grants reinforce the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to ensuring that students gain the skills, credentials, and real-world experience necessary to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving job market through funding support for innovative partnerships, cutting-edge training, and expanded learning opportunities that prepare students for high-demand careers in fields such as electric vehicle technology, engineering, artificial intelligence, and health care.
There are more than 80 Career and Technology Centers (CTCs) across Pennsylvania – and even more CTE programs offered in high school buildings in many of Pennsylvania’s 500 public school districts, providing PDE-approved programs to thousands of students each school year. These programs are built on foundations of academic rigor and high expectations for student learning and success and give students the opportunity to earn college credit and participate in Advanced Placement or Honors courses while working toward CTE credentials.
These 17 PAsmart grants reflect regional partnerships among school districts, intermediate units, CTCs, and institutions of higher education. The following organizations received CTE grants:
Berwick School District – Columbia and Luzerne counties; $280,000
- The Columbia-Montour region faces a growing workforce crisis across the priority sectors of advanced manufacturing, construction, digital technology, and energy and natural resources. Regional employers consistently report difficulty recruiting qualified workers. With this grant, the Berwick School District will scale proven approaches and launch new CTE programming to build a sustainable K-12-to-career pipeline that meets regional workforce demand.
Farrell Area School District – Mercer County; $140,000
- Farrell Area School District offers robust pre-apprenticeships in Manufacturing and Construction, but local students often lack the creative confidence and foundational Computer Science skills to enter these pathways. Regional labor data for Northwest PA indicates a high demand for electrical equipment manufacturing and construction trades. This initiative addresses the disconnect between early education and the state’s high-priority occupations.
Point Park University – Allegheny County; $280,000
- Pennsylvania faces a critical shortage of skilled trades workers and CTE instructors, limiting economic growth and access to in-demand careers. Current systems rely on industry professionals entering classrooms without sufficient pedagogical preparation, contributing to instability and attrition. With this grant, Point Park University’s initiative will recruit, prepare, and retain certified CTE instructors with an initial focus on carpentry but designed for replication across trades.
Northeastern Education Intermediate Unit 19 – $280,000
- Northeastern Education Intermediate Unit 19’s initiative will address a workforce crisis in Pennsylvania's manufacturing sector, particularly in the rural communities of northeastern Pennsylvania, by training more welders, machinists, CNC operators, industrial maintenance mechanics, and automation technicians.
Luzerne County Community College – Luzerne County; $280,000
Lehigh Carbon Community College – Lehigh County; $140,000
Bucks County Community College – Bucks County; $140,000
- Thousands of high-wage, high-demand infrastructure jobs are coming to eastern Pennsylvania, but the region lacks a dedicated talent pipeline to bring these facilities online. With these grants, Luzerne County Community College, Lehigh Carbon Community College and Bucks Community College will train more fiber optics technicians, who are essential to maintaining this digital ecosystem of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, data storage, and data center connectivity.
Steel Center for Career and Technology – Allegheny County; $280,000
- The sale of electric vehicles (EV) is projected to exceed 3 million annually by 2026, and Pennsylvania has seen EV registrations increase by more than 40% in the past year. Despite this growth, fewer than 2 percent of automotive technicians nationwide are certified to work on EVs. The Steel Center for Career and Technology will use its grant to partner with regional collaborators to expand student access to the EV Automotive Technician Registered Apprenticeship program.
Berks County Career and Technology Center – Berks County; $140,000
- Employers across Berks County report difficulty finding candidates with both foundational skills and experience in emerging technologies, limiting economic growth and student access to high-demand careers. With this grant, the Berks County Career and Technology Center will expand its Electrical Occupations program while modernizing curriculum to reflect industry needs. Students will gain hands-on experience in fiber optic installation and troubleshooting, industrial automation systems, and electrical distribution and utility infrastructure.
Lehigh Career and Technical Institute – Lehigh County; $140,000
- As a regional hub for distribution and production, Lehigh Valley employers are increasingly integrating artificial intelligence (AI) to improve efficiency, automation, and decision-making, creating strong demand for workers who can apply AI in practical, career-specific contexts. As a regional CTC serving multiple districts, LCTI will develop a coordinated approach to helping more students graduate with the skills, certifications, and applied experiences increasingly required in the modern workforce.
Scranton School District – Lackawanna County; $140,000
- Regional workforce data indicates that logistics and manufacturing represent one of the largest employment sectors in Lackawanna County, employing tens of thousands of workers, yet employers report ongoing talent shortages. Scranton School District will focus on helping more students enter these in-demand fields. The school district will also work to recruit more CTE-certified teachers.
Fleetwood School District – Berks County; $280,000
- Fleetwood Area School District will use its grant to increase its CTE capacity, ensuring more students interested in high-demand STEM and Computer Science fields have access to career education opportunities. While the district partners with Berks Career and Technology Center (BCTC), only about 26 percent of students are able to participate due to capacity limitations and program availability. As a result, students often choose between college-preparatory coursework and career-focused programming.
Pittsburgh Public Schools – Allegheny County; $140,000
- Pittsburgh Public Schools will use its grant to address a skill gap in careers requiring only a high school diploma, particularly in Advanced Manufacturing, Energy, and Technology and Robotics. The district will also offer more STEM learning experiences as part of the regular school day in its K-5 schools, which will prepare more students for CTE in high school.
Montgomery Community College – Montgomery County; $280,000
- With this grant, Montgomery Community College will partner with Eastern Center for Arts and Technology and Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center and use the CTCs’ welding facilities during evening hours to meet rising labor market demand. This initiative will provide accessible, high-quality welding training to serve underrepresented students, particularly adult learners who are unable to attend daytime programs due to employment and caregiving responsibilities.
Philadelphia School District – Philadelphia; $140,000
- The Philadelphia School District will use its grant to boost more middle schoolers’ exposure to high-growth industries such as advanced manufacturing and construction industries. The district will also partner with community organizations to help more students in grades 6-12 discover their interest in priority industries, while giving more high school students access to technical training, stackable credentials, and professional competencies.
York County School of Technology – York County; $280,000
- The York County School of Technology will partner with other CTCs in the area to build a fiber optic instructional lab and aim to help hundreds of students earn credentials that will lead to jobs in high-growth industries.
Titusville Area School District – Crawford, Venango and Warren counties; $140,000
- Many industries are experiencing a growing shortage of workers, particularly in manufacturing and other high-demand technical fields. The Titusville Area School District will use its grant to strengthen collaboration between schools and employers and ensure training programs reflect the skills needed for immediate employment and long-term career success.
Under Governor Shapiro's leadership, the Commonwealth has become a national leader in economic development. Pennsylvania is the only state in the Northeast with a growing economy according to Moody’s and is the region’s top state for business according to CNBC.
Governor Shapiro’s 2026-27 budget continues the Shapiro Administration’s work to ensure every student, in every community, has access to a high-quality public education. Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, Pennsylvania has increased funding for Pennsylvania schools by more than $3 billion – or 35 percent – since the Governor took office, for a total of $11.85 billion invested into Pennsylvania’s students this year.
This 2026-27 budget builds on the progress we’ve made over the past three years, providing an overall increase in education funding totaling more than $678 million, including a $565 million increase through the bipartisan adequacy and tax equity formula, a $58 million increase for Basic Education Funding, and a $55 million increase for Special Education Funding. It also continues funding for school infrastructure improvements, universal free breakfast, and mental health in schools.