Office of Workforce Development
| Office of Workforce Development | |
|---|---|
| Type | Former stand-alone city office; functions now in the Department of Commerce |
| Created | March 2018 under Mayor Kenney |
| Current successor | Office of Business Development and Workforce Solutions (Department of Commerce) |
| Related nonprofit | Philadelphia Works, Inc. (workforce development board), CEO Patrick Clancy |
| Contact | talent.development@phila.gov |
The Office of Workforce Development (OWD) was launched in March 2018 to consolidate staff engaged in workforce efforts from several city agencies, including the Managing Director's Office, the Department of Commerce and the Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity, as well as the Office of Adult Education.[1] Sheila Ireland was announced as its first executive director.[2] The office has since been reorganized: the city's 2020-2021 revised budget proposed eliminating it, with some resources and functions moving to the Commerce Department, and the city's website for the office now describes the Office of Business Development and Workforce Solutions.[3]
1 Origins and reorganization
The office was created to coordinate a fragmented set of programs for job seekers and employers. During the budget pressures of 2020, the city moved to eliminate it as a stand-alone office, as reported by Technical.ly; Commerce absorbed workforce functions.[3] This article therefore treats the Office of Workforce Development as a historical name and describes the current arrangement. The exact date and extent of the transfer of functions into Commerce are described here as Technical.ly reported them.
2 Current structure and programs
The Office of Business Development and Workforce Solutions, a division of Commerce, attracts and retains businesses and convenes workforce partners, preparing residents for jobs across sectors.[4] It runs the Workforce Professional Alliance, a partnership of 24 workforce organizations, and the Fair Chance Hiring Initiative, which reimburses employers who hire people returning from incarceration. It has also awarded Workforce Solutions Grants to nonprofit training organizations.[4] Gianna Grossmann is listed as senior director of workforce development.
3 Philadelphia Works
Philadelphia Works, Inc. is the region's federally designated workforce development board under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It is a nonprofit, not a city department, and funds employment and training services; the city's Chief Administrative Officer, Camille Duchaussee, was appointed to its board in March 2026.[5] The mayor appoints the board's members under federal rules, and Patrick Clancy serves as president and CEO. Residents seeking job services typically use the PA CareerLink centers it oversees.
4 Connections
The office connects to Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity, Community College of Philadelphia, building trades apprenticeship programs, prevailing wage and project labor agreements, organized labor and PIDC.
See also: Commerce Department, Chief Administrative Officer, Worker Centers and Labor Advocacy.
References
- City of Philadelphia, Commerce and workforce documents on the 2018 launch of the Office of Workforce Development (phila.gov).
- City of Philadelphia, "Mayor Kenney Announces Sheila Ireland as Executive Director of the City's New Office of Workforce Development," February 27, 2018.
- Technical.ly, "City of Philadelphia revised 2020-2021 budget proposes eliminating Office of Workforce Development."
- City of Philadelphia, Office of Business Development and Workforce Solutions, phila.gov.
- Philadelphia Works, Inc., board announcements, March 2026 (philaworks.org).