The Power Initiative

The Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette, INC, is working with the Westmoreland/Fayette Workforce Investment Board to provide funding for our local miners that have become dislocated. The “Power Grant” is intended to support eligible dislocated workers who have been impacted by job loss within the coal industry. It is anticipated that more than 4,000 workers will be dislocated in the region to be served by this grant.

PIC has hired Peer Counselor, David Serock, a dislocated miner with a strong background in the coal industry, to help his fellow miners engage in services not only through the CareerLink, but supportive services throughout the different communities. David has become an integral part of referral and access to needed services. He has attended many orientations and meetings within the counties of Fayette, Greene and Washington where this grant is also being utilized.

David is also working with the CareerLink staff to enhance specialized services to fulfill their needs such as resume classes, job fairs, and referrals to employers or different funding sources. David has been invited to the coal mining food banks and rallies where he introduces these services. He also has meetings with employers to show how the mining skills are transferable skills to employment opportunities within their company.

In the referral process, dislocated miners will be referred to a PIC Employment Specialist to register with JobGateway and develop an Individualized Employment Plan. In this plan, the Employment Specialist will assess the dislocated worker through different assessments to determine basic skills, and have a one on one interview to define barriers. Once assessed, the individual will be ready to pursue other employment or educational assistance.

The goal of these partnerships is to promote economic growth by meeting training needs and to connect our dislocated workers to long term career paths that lead to family sustaining wages.