Region's workforce challenges discussed at on-campus hearing

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Photos by Cindy Davis Meixel, writer/photo editor

The state Senate Majority Policy Committee held a hearing Wednesday afternoon at Pennsylvania College of Technology, exploring workforce challenges in the commonwealth's predominantly rural counties.

Chaired by Sen. Dan Laughlin, of Erie, the hearing addressed population decline and labor and housing shortages, as well as their economic impact on communities and businesses.

Among those testifying in the Thompson Professional Development Center were Penn College President Michael J. Reed; Shannon M. Munro, the college's vice president for workforce development; and George "Herman" Logue Jr., business development at Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. and a member of the Penn College Foundation Board of Directors.

Reed centered his remarks on the college's well-aligned academic programming that creates immediate pathways for graduates to fill open positions, to start their own businesses and to hit the ground running with companies that need their skills.

Reed elaborates on Penn College's unique vantage to meet rural workforce challenges: "We offer approximately 100 STEM-related academic programs emphasizing hands-on, experiential learning," he told committee members, "enabling us to provide a steady stream of highly trained graduates to address persistent skills gaps in business and industry."

"That symbiotic relationship with business and industry has not developed by accident. It's foundational to our academic mission and model," the president said. "Industry input informs nearly all of what we do in our programs. It's crucial to our curriculum, our hands-on labs, the state-of-the-art equipment on which students learn, and the skills and problem-solving techniques they hone while with us."

Corporate partners serve on advisory committees for all of the college's academic programs, providing insight and advice on everything from curriculum development to equipment acquisition to lab design. They also hire current students for prime internship opportunities and often bring them on as full-time employees upon graduation.

Reed additionally mentioned the subsidiary benefits of student organizations, such as the college's high-achieving Baja SAE Club; the Dr. Welch Workshop, a campus makerspace; and Global Experience courses that allow tomorrow makers to put their locally attained skills into practice internationally.

(The entire hearing can be viewed on the committee's website.)

Other examples of how Penn College responds nimbly to industry needs were cited during Munro's testimony.

"We have a proven track record of addressing the workforce challenges confronting Pennsylvania's companies," she said. "Our skilled, job-ready graduates immediately begin contributing when they are hired, while our workforce development efforts help companies solve their skills-gap issues through apprenticeships and other customized training programs."

"Apprenticeships" echoed throughout the hearing, effectively encapsulating one of Workforce Development's main emphases. In one prong of its multi-faceted approach to training incumbent workers, Penn College sponsors seven apprenticeship programs that are registered with the state Department of Labor & Industry.

"We are the only entity in Pennsylvania awarded a U.S. Department of Labor Scaling Apprenticeship grant, known as MIDAS, which is expected to support training for more than 3,200 apprentices over five years in advanced manufacturing occupations like CNC, mechatronics, industrial manufacturing technician, robotics and automation maintenance technician, and plastics process technician," Munro said. "Our blend of delivering technical instruction with the companies' documented hands-on training ensures a consistently trained workforce."

Munro also noted the success of the college's Clean Energy Center, a national recognized provider of training and technical assistance in the building performance field; and WEDnetPA, which has helped hundreds of companies pay to train thousands of their workers.

State Sens. Laughlin (left) and Yaw deliver introductory remarks. Yaw, from Loyalsock Township, also serves Penn College and the Center for Rural Pennsylvania as chair of their respective boards of directors.

Nancy A. Walker, acting secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, commends the committee for bringing problem-solvers to the table. "I found out early in my tenure as L&I’s acting secretary the value in convening a group of people with a vested stake in how the department operates and serves its constituents." Other members of that first panel are Dan Kuba (left), director of L&I's Bureau of Workforce Development; and Kyle Kopko, executive director of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania.

Representating the GOP policy committee are (from left) Sens. Devlin J. Robinson, of Pittsburgh, and Judy Ward, of Hollidaysburg; Sheila Fitzgerald Sterrett, the committee's executive director; Laughlin; Yaw; and Sen. Greg Rothman, of Camp Hill.

The Mountain Laurel Room, a frequent site for legislative hearings that interlock with the college's far-reaching strengths, offers a comfortable and convenient locale for campus events.

The testimony of President Reed (on screen, top right) is livestreamed by state Senate Republicans during Wednesday's on-campus hearing; Sen. Yaw is visible at left on the webcast monitor.

"Employers grow our economy," Munro said. "We must respond to their needs, which Penn College does by providing a pipeline of graduates in degrees that align with industry and offering lifelong training opportunities for incumbent workers." Joining her on the mid-afternoon panel are Erica Mulberger, executive director of Advance Central PA, and Reed.

Logue (right) talks about the decline in affordable housing due to the rising costs of land development. His colleagues on the day's final panel are (from left) E. Patrick Little, vice president of Fish Real Estate, and Nathan Yoder, executive vice president of Yoder Builders Inc.

Reed leads an impromptu conversation at the doorway to the PDC before the group embarked on its tour.

Crossing campus on a beautiful Thursday in the Keystone State, the group passes the Veterans Fountain. Leading the lineup is Loni N. Kline, senior vice president for college relations/chief philanthropy officer, talking with George Stark, director of external affairs at Coterra Energy.

Christopher J. Gagliano, Plastics Innovation & Resource Center project manager, enlightens guests in the college's 1,800-square-foot Thermoforming Center of Excellence – an impressive part of any campus visit.

During a stop in the Dental Hygiene Clinic, Patrick Marty, chief government and international relations officer, and Valerie A. Myers, dean of nursing and health sciences (with President Reed, at right), discuss the challenges of attracting nursing faculty and securing clinical sites to graduate the number of nurses the commonwealth needs.

Reed and Ward, a former nurse on a return visit to Penn College, emerge from the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center.

Making their way into the Larry A. Ward Machining Technologies Center and the college's welding labs

Laughlin and Co. get a peek at the student club's all-terrain vehicle in the newly dedicated Penn College Baja Room. The committee chairman's curiosity was piqued by mention of the Baja car during Reed's testimony.