Two Western Pennsylvania community agencies — Sigma Resources and Catalyst Connection — received grants of $250,000 each from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry as part of the department’s Schools-to-Work initiative, which aims to expand worthwhile employment opportunities for high school students.

Both agencies are based in Pittsburgh.

The grants were announced during an event hosted by Sigma Resources on Thursday, March 28. In all, 14 organizations across Pennsylvania were awarded a total of $3.3 million in Schools-to-Work funding.

Sigma Resources plans to recruit high school students for a preapprenticeship program which would provide training for careers in the technology sector. This program would run through the summers of 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Catalyst Connection will use its grant to expand its preapprenticeship program for industrial manufacturing technicians.