Chamber Hires Workforce Development Specialist

The Chamber is proud to announce the addition of Emily Pettinato as the workforce development specialist for Skills in Scranton, the Chamber’s workforce development affiliate.

In this role, Pettinato supports workforce development and talent recruitment initiatives for Skills in Scranton, including managing programs like Workforce Wednesday, Educator in the Workplace, Industry Career Camp, and more. Pettinato’s responsibilities include coordination and implementation of programs with educational institutions and businesses, securing grant and funding opportunities, managing analytics, developing relationships with key workforce segments, and more.

Pettinato has worked in education as a teacher assistant for multiple organizations, as well as having varied experience in communications and business development. Pettinato earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Moravian College and is currently earning her MBA in business administration.

CANPACK Group Hosts Ceremonial Event

The CANPACK Group held a ceremonial event on Friday March 19 with state and local officials along with community leaders. A short program was presented marking the 908,000-square-foot aluminum can manufacturing plant being completely under roof with final construction expected to be in May.

In July of 2020, The CANPACK Group – a subsidiary of Blandon, PA-based GIORGI GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC. (GGHI) – announced the construction a state of the art aluminum beverage can body and ends manufacturing plant. President and CEO of GGHI Peter Giorgi remarked that “this is CANPACK’s first plant in the United States and will feature a North American Center of Excellence which will demonstrate our R&D and lithographic capabilities. In anticipation of this ceremonial event, Mr. Giorgi added: “We are extremely excited to be bringing CANPACK to the United States and to my home state of Pennsylvania, and we are very pleased that Roberto Villaquiran, CEO of the CANPACK Group, will be joining us in person for this event as well as our leadership team for CANPACK US.”

The new $366 million facility in Olyphant will create more than 400 skilled and semi-skilled jobs. CANPACK will open the first of its assembly lines in September with further lines to follow.
Roberto Villaquiran, CANPACK’s CEO, notes that “providing life sustaining jobs while creating essential packaging products which can be recycled again and again is foundational with respect to CANPACK’s focus on sustainability, being a responsible corporate citizen, and passionately serving the needs of our customers.” Brooke Lipperini, HR Manager o f CANPACK US, added, “We are hiring passionate and dedicated individuals to join our team. This is an exciting time for CANPACK and we welcome those who want to be a part of the creation of a major manufacturing facility that brings great sustainable product to our great country.”

Learn more at Canpack.com.

A Letter on Workforce Initiatives

Dear Chamber Members:

The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and our workforce development affiliate, Skills in Scranton, are working to support member businesses with pandemic economic recovery. In the past year we’ve held numerous webinars, industry collaborative meetings, and conducted one-on-one interviews with many Chamber members.

Through the outreach, we learned that workforce is a common concern – specifically the availability and access to a qualified labor pool. To assist our members with their workforce needs, we’ve implemented three new programs.

  • Workforce Wednesday: Each week, one Chamber member business will join us to share information about job openings and company culture. The programs are hosted on Zoom and available on Facebook.
  • Chamber Job Board: The Chamber recently launched a new Job Board for members to open positions at no cost.  
  • Small Business Internship Fund: If you are looking for help to grow your business, the Chamber can match you with a college student that can work virtually or on-site. We have access to a pool of students who are ready to gain real-world experience and are immediately available to work or intern. Qualified Chamber members can receive funding to offset internship wages.

To learn more about these Chamber workforce development programs, contact Brianna Florovito at bflorovito@scrantonchamber.com or 570-342-7711.

Sincerely,

Bob Durkin
Chamber President
Patrick Fricchione Jr.
Chamber Board Chair

COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Response Program

Skills in Scranton, the workforce development affiliate of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, and in partnership with the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging, has launched a COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Response Program to match college students and recent graduates with Lackawanna County pharmacies and medical practices for temporary, non-clinical work related to COVID-19 vaccinations.

“Our organization is honored to support such a timely and historic program. The work that comes from this program not only provides young college students and professionals with real world experience, but will also make a significant impact on many lives in the Lackawanna County community,” said Bob Durkin, president of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.

Whether you’re looking for supplemental employment or just want to make a difference, we encourage those who qualify to join the fight against COVID-19. The positions involve COVID-19 data administration functions as well as customer service support.

Eligible employees must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • Be a resident of Lackawanna County and currently enrolled in a college or university or 2020 college or university graduate
  • Be a student currently enrolled in a Lackawanna County college or university and residing in Lackawanna County
  • Be a student currently enrolled at a Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce member college or university and living in Lackawanna County

The positions are available for immediate hire and will stay open on a rolling basis. Those interested in applying can visit www.scrantonchamber.com/vaccineprogram.

LEARN MORE

For more information on the COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Response Program contact Amy Luyster at aluyster@scrantonchamber.com or 570-342-7711.