Last Friday, Philadelphia Youth Basketball announced plans for The Generator, a forthcoming center focused on career development, workforce training, entrepreneurship and economic mobility. The project is supported by Temple.
The Generator will prepare young adults in the region for careers in skilled building trades, healthcare and technology.
Photo by Betsy Manning
On Friday, Sept. 25, members of the community, elected officials and the media gathered at Philadelphia Youth Basketball’s (PYB) Alan Horwitz Sixth Man Center. They weren’t there to celebrate the building of a new basketball court, but rather to celebrate the kickoff of PYB’s forthcoming Generator of Career Development and Economic Opportunity.
The Generator, which is supported by Temple University, will feature a 40,000-square-foot facility focused on career development, workforce training, entrepreneurship and economic mobility.
PYB, Temple and their partners believe The Generator will help young adults in Philadelphia and the surrounding region build careers in industries facing labor shortages, including carpentry, HVAC, electrical work, healthcare and more.
“We know what the Sixth Man Center has done, and the plans for what The Generator will do are equally impressive. Even though the site where The Generator will be remains gravelly ground, we know there are diamonds in this setting,” said David Brown, executive director for community impact and civic engagement at Temple University. “We want to thank PYB for thinking early about what we can do together, because what we can do together will outlast so many of us, and will be the realized potential of the acres of diamonds that are in our midst.”
The Generator is the next evolution of PYB’s Kinder to Career pipeline, which supports youth development from kindergarten to young adulthood through basketball and other enrichment programs focused on academic success, financial literacy and career readiness.
The Generator extends that pipeline to young adults aged 18–29. It will offer certificate-based training in various targeted careers, wraparound services for academic acceleration, mental health and wellness support, financial education, and more.
Temple has been in ongoing discussions about how the university partners with The Generator on a range of workforce training and economic mobility opportunities, Brown said.
“For the last two generations, it has been far too difficult for young adults without a college degree, without a well-resourced K–12 education and without a network of social capital, to build family-sustaining careers with headroom for growth and opportunity,” said Kenny Holdsman, president and CEO of PYB. “PYB knows this reality firsthand through our deep connections with people and families and neighborhoods across our city. The Generator is our answer to this enduring challenge.”
PYB already supports more than 2,400 young people through 13 programs hosted at their Sixth Man Center and through additional programs operating in 24 schools throughout the city.
The capital project for The Generator seeks to raise $50 million, of which 20% has already been raised. PYB hopes to break ground on the new center in fall 2027 and open The Generator in early 2029.
“I’ve been here many times, and I’ve seen young people enjoy themselves out on the basketball court,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said during last Friday’s event. “But the most important thing that happens here at PYB is not what happens on the court. It’s what happens when these young people go and get mental health support, and they get a good meal because they’re hungry. It’s what happens when they have mentors to talk with about the big challenges they are facing. What happens here is different than what happens anywhere else. This is a special place.”