Northern Ireland students to visit Penn College

For the second consecutive year, a contingent of students from Northern Ireland will visit Pennsylvania College of Technology as part of a cultural exchange program.

Twelve students and two faculty from North West Regional College are scheduled to be in the area April 2-16 and spend most of that time on the Penn College campus.

“Penn College is excited to once again welcome students from Northern Ireland. Visiting our state-of-the-art labs and interacting with students, faculty and staff, and the local community will provide a culturally rich experience for all parties,” President Michael J. Reed said. “We are very committed to global collaboration at Penn College and grateful for this latest opportunity. Such experiences often result in lifelong benefits.”

North West Regional College consists of five campuses in Northern Ireland and enrolls over 10,000 students, studying a range of vocational and non-vocational subjects. The students visiting Penn College are split between cyber security and engineering/mechatronics majors.

Penn College offers an information assurance & cyber security bachelor’s degree, a bachelor’s in automation engineering technology: mechatronics and an associate degree in mechatronics technology.

“The students will sit in on classes and labs related to their academic pursuits in Northern Ireland,” explained Sue A. Mahaffey, manager of special projects & planning: enrollment & academic operations. “But they will also experience a variety of our programs and facilities so they have a full appreciation for what Penn College offers.”

The itinerary includes tours of the college’s Schneebeli Earth Science Center and Lumley Aviation Center, an overview of apprenticeships offered by Workforce Development, team-building time on the Fish Real Estate Leadership Challenge Course, and attendance at college athletic events.

“Throughout their visit, the group will have ample time to experience local industry, as well as cultural and historic sites throughout the region. It’s a very well-rounded schedule,” Mahaffey said.

The students will conclude their visit with a presentation to the college community.

“We are so pleased to be able to continue our relationship with NWRC, once again facilitated with the support of the U.K. government’s ‘Turing Scheme,’” said Patrick Marty, chief government and international relations officer. “Not only do exchanges like these help the college to fulfill our promise to prepare tomorrow’s workforce leaders for the global marketplace, but they have also opened the door to potential partnerships at other institutions in both Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland, including Ulster University, Queen’s University Belfast and Atlantic Technological University in Donegal.”

Penn College connected with North West Regional College in 2018 when Bronagh Fikri, North West Regional College’s European and international projects officer, visited campus to discuss apprenticeship programs with Shannon M. Munro, vice president for workforce development, and Beth M. Bittenbender, executive director of operations/special projects. The similarities between the colleges inspired the parties to initiate a cultural exchange.

Because of Brexit, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, it took until last year for the first students from Northern Ireland to visit the college. Those students were health science and social care majors.

Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education. Email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222 for more information.