FirstEnergy Foundation Supports Women and Disadvantaged Job Seekers in Western Pennsylvania
The FirstEnergy Foundation recently awarded Pennsylvania Women Work, western Pennsylvania’s premier women-focused workforce development organization, a $20,000 grant to sustain and grow its efforts to help women and other marginalized job seekers secure meaningful jobs that offer well-paying wages in Westmoreland County.
In recent years, PA Women Work has expanded programming for clients in more rural communities, such as Westmoreland County, to provide holistic workforce development and job placement assistance.
The organization focuses on helping individuals overcome employment barriers to build more stable and prosperous futures for themselves and their families. Among its clients are single mothers, immigrants, women in recovery, formerly incarcerated individuals, first-generation college students and others experiencing a barrier to obtaining employment.
Offering New Choices
Mariel Van Hyning, a young mother of two, was at a crossroads in her life when her mother encouraged her to enroll in PA Women Work’s New Choices Career Development program. New Choices is PA Women Work’s flagship program to teach critical job-readiness skills and prepare clients to succeed in the job market.
“I want to set a good example for my two daughters. I was trying to figure out my next step, and New Choices really kick-started my life,” said Mariel, who resides in the service area of West Penn Power, one of FirstEnergy’s 10 electric companies.
She recalled New Choices helping her “go back to basics,” so she could focus on her goals and set tangible steps to achieve them. She gained a community of other people going through similar challenges and rediscovered herself through the process.
“New Choices encouraged me to take the next step in my career journey,” Mariel said. “That encouragement and the self-assessments were so helpful. New Choices helped me rediscover my goals and make a plan to move forward.”
PA Women Work has a proven track record of helping thousands of others like Mariel succeed. Nearly 90% of New Choices participants earned an average yearly income of about $20,000 prior to taking the class, while earning nearly $32,000 after completion – a nearly 60% wage increase.
“We are a vital support, resource and lifeline for job-seeking women struggling to overcome barriers or obstacles in their employment search,” said Kristin Ioannou, executive director of PA Women Work. “We are honored to team up with FirstEnergy. Their support and commitment to our work allows us to continue to serve our region’s most vulnerable and at-risk populations by helping them achieve financial security.”
Since completing the New Choices program, Mariel has taken steps to obtain her bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership while driving for a ridesharing company full-time to support her family.
To learn more about New Choices and PA Women Work’s additional program offerings, please visit www.pawomenwork.org.
A Successful Track Record
In 2022, PA Women Work served more than 1,300 clients, 76% of whom were women, 52% of whom identified themselves as black, indigenous and people of color and 75% of whom were considered low-income. Over the past two years, PA Women Work has almost doubled the number of people it serves in Westmoreland County.
“The services that PA Women Work provides are critical and offer much needed support for women in career transition,” said Nicole King Yohe, a FirstEnergy attorney and chair of PA Women Work’s board of directors. “Their efforts promote local workforce development, align with our business interests and support our employees’ community leadership and volunteer interests.”
Its programs are designed to empower clients with the skills, resources and confidence to obtain jobs, earn a living wage and advance their careers. Clients pay no costs for classes, individualized career coaching, professional skill-building workshops and connections to local employers.
To learn more about FirstEnergy’s community involvement initiatives, visit www.firstenergycorp.com/community.
CONTACT: Todd Meyers, 724-838-6650