PWIB | Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board

While there are pockets of prosperity in and around Philadelphia, it’s not hard to see that many neighborhoods and their residents are struggling.

Our neighborhoods are growing increasingly isolated. Crime is skyrocketing. Homicides continue to rise. Where does preparation for and connection to employment fit into this dangerous picture?

Work provides an income, stabilizing households and offering an alternative to the high stakes high-risk underground economy. Education provides preparation for and access to work, solidifying opportunity and placing people on a path into the future. Work instills a sense of pride and a means to make a positive contribution to the community and the economy. Put simply, as education levels increase, attachment to work increases, income levels go up, and crime goes down.

Work ultimately allows individuals to provide for themselves, their families, and their communities. Imagine your neighborhood where every person who wants to and is able to work has a job with benefits that support their family. Picture the ripple effects of employment on crime, as employment significantly reduces the likelihood that one returning from prison will reengage in a life of crime. What about the effect of employment on housing? On family life? The beginning step to this rebuilding is increasing the education levels of our selves and our neighbors.

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