What is Hanover Works?

Hanover Works is the Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce’s workforce development initiative focused on preparing students and job seekers to become career ready while strengthening the local workforce pipeline. The Chamber began investing in workforce development nearly 20 years ago in response to the growing need for skilled and competitive workers in the Hanover area.

Through partnerships with local schools, educators, manufacturers, healthcare providers, and businesses, the Chamber has created opportunities for students to explore careers and connect directly with local employers. Programs focus on exposing students to high-demand industries such as welding, industrial maintenance, electronics, quality control, healthcare, engineering, and skilled trades.

In 2017, the Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce became the first chamber in Pennsylvania to submit a Chamber Apprenticeship Model approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. Since then, high school students have participated in pre-apprenticeship programs and transitioned into paid apprenticeship opportunities with local employers after graduation.
Since the launch of the apprenticeship initiative, the Chamber has secured approximately $300,000 in grant funding to support workforce development efforts, including purchasing equipment for local high schools and helping cover training costs for apprentices and pre-apprentices.
The Chamber continues to focus on long-term workforce strategies including:
- Talent pipeline development
- Career pathway development
- Upskilling opportunities
- Succession planning
- Backfilling workforce needs
The Chamber also supports employer-driven collaborative programs that align education with workforce demands and help students build meaningful careers within their hometown region.
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
Remedies
Violations of this policy, regardless of whether an actual law has been violated, will not be tolerated. Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce will promptly, thoroughly and fairly investigate every issue that is brought to its attention in this area and will take disciplinary action, when appropriate, up to and including termination of employment.