University City initiative finds success in combatting unemployment

West Philadelphians have greatly benefited from collaboration with University City institutions, a report issued last week by the University City District found.

The report, which detailed the activities of UCD’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, found that WPSI placed 124 West Philadelphia residents in professional positions in University City in the four years since the program was founded — an accomplishment in an area with a poverty rate above the Philadelphia average.

West Philadelphia anchor institutions, including Penn and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, comprise over 10 percent of the city’s total employment, with over 72,000 jobs across educational, scientific and service sectors. Despite this density of opportunity, 31 percent of West Philadelphians live below the poverty level with an unemployment rate of 15 percent, according to the report.

In order to alleviate unemployment in the community, WPSI has created a strategic system of transforming employer needs into opportunities for job-seeking participants. The programs are designed to respond directly to the distinct hiring challenges of each employer institution.

Penn Medicine is one of the many anchor institutions that has benefitted from the WPSI model. In response to the inefficient use of highly trained analysts, WPSI customized a six-month program in which participants were trained to learn skills necessary for specific Penn Med positions.

After being unemployed for two months, Michael Benson – now an analyst at the Perelman School of Medicine – underwent the WPSI training program two years ago in search of a career. He said, “The program was very conducive to understanding my strengths and weaknesses, and from there I could push boundaries on my weaknesses and turn them into strengths for the position.”

After completing the training program, WPSI continued to support Benson by advising him on any professional questions he encountered in the field. Since starting at the Medical School, Benson has taken on more responsibility in various projects.

“The key takeaway from the program was to always seize opportunities and to never be complacent,” Benson said. “Once I got a chance to show what I’ve learned and how I’ve grown, the training came to fruition.”

As a result of the WPSI partnership with Penn Med, 98 percent of participants completed the program, 80 percent are steadily employed and 30 percent have risen to higher-paying positions.

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