There are a few job openings and job training opportunities in West Philadelphia this month.

Two seasonal, part-time positions are currently open at Greensgrow West (4912 Baltimore Avenue):

Customer Service Specialist will work as a member of the sales team at the Greensgrow West Garden Center 2-3 days a week and should be available from Friday through Tuesday when the site is open for business. There will also be several events outside the regularly open hours. This person will primarily serve as a weekend cashier, and duties will include, but will not be limited to: ringing up customers, answering the phone, interacting with customers, representing Greensgrow to the local community, and helping keep the store, merchandise and storefront tidy and presentable. This position is March through June, working approximately 24 hours a week. For more information about the job, job requirements and how to apply, please visit: http://www.greensgrow.org/get-involved/jobs/

Customer Service and Horticultural Specialist will work as a member of the sales team at the Garden Center 4-5 days a week, and should be available from Friday through Tuesday when the site is open for business. There will also be several events outside of the regularly open hours. This person will be responsible for maintaining high quality plant material, interact with the customers as a salesperson and resource, making sure the site is kept clean and attractive for customers and guests, helping with the CSA, and completing daily job tasks as assigned by the site manager. This position starts in March, working approximately 30 hours a week. For more information about the job, job requirements and how to apply, please visit: http://www.greensgrow.org/get-involved/jobs/

The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative is recruiting West Philadelphia residents interested in training and job opportunities as Landscape Technicians with Green City Works, University City District’s landscaping venture. Successful candidates will have landscaping or related experience, have a high school diploma or GED, be unemployed, and live in West Philadelphia (defined by zip codes 19104, 19131, 19139, 19143, 19151). The application deadline is Friday, Feb. 26, 2016. Apply online here, or print and mail/fax the program application to WPSI. More information is available on this page.

Here’s a list of jobs and volunteer opportunities currently available for West Philadelphia residents. If you know of more job opportunities in West Philadelphia, please email editor@westphillylocal.com.

• The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) is recruiting West Philadelphians with laboratory experience for training and job opportunities as Laboratory Technicians. This is a great opportunity to grow careers within a top-ranked organization offering competitive pay and great benefits. The application deadline is January 22, 2016. You can apply online, or print and mail/fax the program application to WPSI. Click here for more and information and to apply.

• Source For Teachers is hiring K-12 substitute teachers and other full-time support staff to work in the School District of Philadelphia for the 2015/16 school year and beyond. The following positions are currently available: Substitute Teacher, Classroom Assistant, Food Service Preparation, Schools Secretary, School Counselor, Part-Time Aide. Interested individuals will have access to a variety of in-person and online training workshops. For more information and to apply, visit: https://www.source4teachers.com/.  Continue Reading

A new PA CareerLink West Philadelphia Center began operations today at 5070 Parkside Avenue (5th floor), providing all job readiness services to area residents. This interim location will serve all West Philadelphia job seekers until the permanent facility for the PA CareerLink West Philadelphia Center at 3901 Market Street is open in the spring of 2016.

PA CareerLink offers Philadelphia job openings and training resources to help job seekers prepare for and find work regardless of their background, skill level and educational level. The new center serves both traditional PA CareerLink clients as well as those receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits, who previously reported to a separate Employment Advancement and Retention Network (EARN) center for job readiness and placement services. The West Philadelphia Center will be operated by a consortium of workforce partners that include SER Metro; Educational Data Systems, Incorporated; PA Department of Labor & Industry (L&I); PA Department of Human Services and the L&I Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.

More information about the new center can be found here: http://www.philaworks.org/career-link/pa-careerlink-centers.

The University City District’s recently released “The State of University City” report confirmed the worst-kept secret this side of the Schuylkill: The Meds-and-Eds juggernaut that fuels this part of the city is gaining speed.

The report, released every fall, tracks everything from rents, to occupancy rates in office buildings to the number of bike commuters in the University City District defined as the Schuylkill River to 50th Street, south to Woodland Avenue and north to Market Street and, in the Powelton neighborhoods, north again to Spring Garden Street.

According to this year’s report, a whopping 77 percent of the jobs in the area is in education and health care with “entertainment, hospitality and retail” in second with 8 percent. The University of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine alone now account for more than 40,000 of those jobs.

The report shows that all of those good-paying jobs are attracting a lot of young, well-educated people. About 40 percent of the area’s population is between 20 years of age and 29. The number of children (5-14) in the area has dropped steadily since 2000.

Rents have also increased in most neighborhoods. The steepest increases have been in the Powelton Village neighborhood, where the median rent is just over $1,500 per month. The highest rents are in the “Central University City” area (roughly east of 38th Street and south of Market Street), where the median rent is just over $2,500 per month.

Median home prices grew from about $100,000 in 2000 to $300,000 in 2006, but have remained at that level since then, according to the report. But, of course, real estate prices vary widely by neighborhood. Prices in Spruce Hill, which includes the Penn Alexander School catchment, are just over $375,000. That’s a slight decrease compared to 2009 prices. The lowest median prices are in West Powelton at about $200,000.

Many residents’ fear of a loss of economic and racial diversity has followed the economic gains in the area. Technical.ly Philly talked to Seth Budick, senior manager of policy and research for UCD, ahead of the report’s release. “Prices are going up. The social consequences of that I don’t think we’re going to comment on too much,” Budick said. “For the most part, though, if you look at that rent figure … you’ll see a huge diversification.”

Here are some other tidbits:

• The population has steadily grown since 1990 and now stands at about 51,000.

• Well over 50 percent of people have at least a bachelor’s degree, while in the city as a whole that number is closer to 24 percent.

• University City District residents are three times as likely to commute on foot, bike or transportation than by car. Only 23 percent of residents reported commuting by car, compared to 59 percent of Philadelphians in general and 86 percent of all Americans. That number has remained steady since 2000.

• Occupancy rates for office buildings in the district are among the highest in the region at about 97 percent, according to the report. Developers, of course, have noticed and new office buildings are under construction or in the works.

– Mike Lyons

The Next Level Expo, a career and opportunities fair, will take place at The Enterprise Center (4548 Market St.) this Friday, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Geared for youth ages 18-25, The Next Level Expo will serve as a one-stop-shop for attendees eager to learn more about career options available to them.

Photo courtesy Episcopal Community Services.

Traditionally, expos focus primarily on employment or education, but The Next Level Expo focuses on all options available to youth so they can determine – on their own – what their next steps in life should be. Four workshops will be offered during the expo: How to Obtain Financial Aid for College, Time Management Tips and Strategies, How to Dress for Success, and Accessing Alternative Pathways to Higher Education.

The expo will feature employers, post-secondary institutions, and apprenticeship programs including: ShopRite, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Philadelphia Fire Department, Orleans Technical College, Childcare Careers, Jefferson University Hospital, Community College of Philadelphia, Saxby’s Coffee, Elwyn, People’s Emergency Center, OIC of Philadelphia, Integrity Staffing, PA Army National Guard, Sodexo, FedEx, and more.

The Next Level Expo is organized by Episcopal Community Services’ R.I.S.E. Initiative. The event is free and open to the public. For more information and to register, click here.

Here’s an assortment of current job opportunities in the area.

• Mariposa Food Co-op is seeking a Transitional General Manager responsible for the overall management of the cooperative. Priority Skills and Experience: Operations management and retail experience; Personnel and management experience; Organizational change/transition experience. Application deadline: December 4, 2015. For more information, go here.

• West Philadelphia Cooperative School is hiring a part-time School Coordinator. Requirements include: minimum two years experience in early-childhood setting; demonstrated ability to manage a staff in a collaborative environment; strong interpersonal and conflict resolution skills; excellent organizational and leadership skills; experience with financial oversight, including building budgets and ensuring compliance; proven commitment to diversity. Additional Requirement: candidates must have or acquire current PA Child Abuse clearances, PA Criminal Background Check, and FBI Fingerprinting. More details, including information on how to apply, is available here.  Continue Reading