First Lady Jill Biden swung through the Lehigh Valley on July 2 to discuss the importance of education and workforce development.
At Lehigh Carbon Community College in downtown Allentown, Biden joined U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, Congressional Hispanic Caucus officials, and local dignitaries to talk about federal initiatives aimed at strengthening job opportunities. 
Biden’s stop in the Lehigh Valley, a competitive congressional district with a growing economy, underscores the importance of training a workforce with skills that companies need to grow and thrive. Talent is the most important asset to maintaining a vibrant, diverse economy that attracts employers providing good-paying jobs for people of all skill and education levels.
The Lehigh Valley has long recognized the importance of strengthening the pipeline of talent, which now supports a $50 billion regional economy. Nearly a decade ago, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC) and Workforce Board Lehigh Valley joined forces to commission a strategic plan to strengthen the talent pipeline.
The award-winning programs that grew out of that study have made the Lehigh Valley a national model for addressing talent issues.
Here are five critical initiatives the Lehigh Valley has produced in recent years:
Internship Summit
LVEDC on July 23 will host its sixth annual Internship Summit, in partnership with the Lehigh Valley’s colleges and universities. Employers who attend can network and learn best practices in designing and implementing engaging internship programs.
This year’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Nicole Loyd, Executive Vice President for University Life, Chief Operating Officer, and Dean of Students at Moravian University. The keynote presentation, entitled Generations in the Workforce, will address fostering a workplace culture where five generations can work together and thrive alongside each other.
LVEDC has developed a companion Internship Resource Guide to help employers build a successful program. The guide (download here), explains the steps necessary to start a program, and how to work with area colleges and universities to fill internship positions.
Hot Careers Dashboard
The Hot Careers Dashboard is an interactive, digital resource to help students and job seekers explore careers that are growing in the Lehigh Valley’s major industry sectors. The online tool can be used to explore jobs, industries, wages, educational programs, and more to shape careers.
The dashboard is based on local job-market research and employer feedback, underscoring the Lehigh Valley’s vast employment and training opportunities.
LVEDC has created a tutorial video explaining how to use the Hot Careers Dashboard. View it here.
In June, the dashboard, which was developed by LVEDC, was recognized with a national award by The Council for Community and Economic Research during its annual conference in Norfolk, Va.
LVEDC Director of Research Frank Alvarado, who developed the dashboard, recently presented the dashboard at the Pennsylvania State Data Center’s 2024 Data User Conference, the state’s most comprehensive forum for research and development in demographic data.
The guide began as a printed document distributed to education leaders impacting more than 60,000 middle school and high school students.
Education and Talent Supply Council
The LVEDC Education and Talent Supply Council is a partnership of regional educational institutions, major employers, and economic development and workforce agencies. The council is the driver in creating and executing data-driven regional strategies that help the Lehigh Valley maintain a competitive workforce.
The Hot Careers Guide and Internship Summit are projects that resulted from the council’s work.
The council continues to meet twice a year. The meetings include project updates and presentations and panel discussions on current trends on talent and workforce development.
Manufacturing Apprenticeship Program
The Industrial Training and Education Consortium of the Lehigh Valley, or iTEC, is a nonprofit established by Lehigh Valley manufacturers to provide industrial skills training and talent development that meets the needs of the region’s growing manufacturing sector.
The award-winning iTEC program supports companies by marketing industrial skills and occupations, providing a consistent flow of apprentice candidates, and reducing training costs by using established, successful apprenticeship programs.
Manufacturers participating in iTEC are: B. Braun Medical, Bracalente Manufacturing Group, Evonik, Hospital Central Services Corp., Heidelberg Materials, Julabo USA, Keurig Dr Pepper, Lutron Electronics, Oldcastle APG, OraSure Technologies, Thread Bioscience, Tyber Medical.
Training partners are: Allentown School District, Bethlehem Area School District, Bucks County Community College, Cedar Crest College, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, Northampton Area School District, Northampton Community College.
Collaborating partners are: German American Chamber of Commerce, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., Manufacturers Resource Center, Workforce Board Lehigh Valley. LVEDC provides administrative support to iTEC, which is funded by a state grant and member companies.
Accrediting organizations are: German American Chamber of Commerce, Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, U.S. Department of Labor.
B. Braun Medical has been recognized with a 2024 Governor’s Employer Award for Achievement, for its leadership role in creating the Lehigh Valley’s new apprenticeship program to grow the manufacturing workforce.
Regional Talent Studies
Current, locally-focused research is the foundation of the initiative. Over the past decade, three in-depth studies, the most recent in 2022, explored talent supply assets, talent demands of employers, and talent market gaps. Other studies assessed perceptions of the Lehigh Valley among alumni of its colleges and universities, and the priorities of young people from outside the region when they consider moving for a new job or career opportunity. Using the findings from these studies, LVEDC and partners map the priorities for future talent initiatives.