Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Photos by Cindy Davis Meixel, writer/photo editor; and Larry D. Kauffman, digital publishing specialist/photographer
Even before COVID blurred the global jobs picture, a perfect storm of factors was affecting the workforce: slower population growth, productivity lost to the opioid epidemic, longer life spans and a transfer of wealth from parents to children that discouraged full-time employment, among them. Manufacturers looking for help in reversing the skilled-worker shortage – searching for a strategy to recruit and retain employees in a number of applied technology sectors – found a potential solution at Tuesday's Apprenticeship Summit at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Sponsored in time-tested fashion by Workforce Development at the college, the annual event provided a forum for industry professionals and invested partners to brainstorm how apprenticeships can instill a collaboratively beneficial culture of lifelong learning and career satisfaction.
"Everything we do is based on what industry needs today and what industry needs in the future," President Michael J. Reed said in opening the summit. "At Penn College, we know firsthand how technology education bridges the skills gap."
Apprenticeship swag greeted registrants at the information table.
In midmorning remarks about "The Global Sansdemic and How Apprenticeship Can Help," the college's executive director for workforce development talks about apprenticeship programs as an answer to the international shortage of skilled labor. "You have to figure out your best strategy and partner with people who can help you," Beth M. Bittenbender told employers. "Everyone will need to up their game, and those who don't will not succeed."
Angela Hummel, an experienced talent development and human resources leader, shares why “Mentoring Matters.”
Jeff L. Rankinen (back right), associate professor of electronics, socializes with guests during lunch in CC Commons.
Enjoying a day away from the office for professional development: David Hoover, maintenance manager, and Sara Leonard, staffing specialist, both of Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe Inc.
Alison A. Diehl (right), executive director of the college’s Clean Energy Center, enjoys networking with (from left) Center for Community Action’s Wendy Melius, and the state Department of Community and Economic Development’s Kathy Rulli and Steven Lambert.
Nate Woods Jr., special assistant to the president for inclusion transformation, shares thoughts on diversity and inclusion prior to the panel discussion. "Diversity is the 'what,'" he explained. "Inclusion is the 'how.'"
Shannon M. Munro, vice president for workforce development, participates in the after-lunch panel discussion. She also offered closing remarks in a presentation titled “The Future of Apprenticeship as a Skills Gap Solution.”
Woods moderates the discussion, posing questions to the panel members. Seated (from left) are Tara Loew, director of the Apprenticeship and Training Office for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry; Nick Burdick, Region 2 multi-state navigator for the U.S.Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship; Diehl; Tony Bixby, chief of Susquehanna Regional Emergency Medical Services/UPMC; and Munro.
Diehl answers an audience question.
Backdropped by the spring green of campus, the venue offers a view to match the inspiring conversation.
Tiffany Loner-Diemer, West Pharmaceutical Services' learning and development manager and global site training coordinator, touts the success of apprenticeships in "If You Grow Them, They Will Stay." An invaluable Penn College partner, West has enrolled more apprentices than any other company partnering with Workforce Development.
Tyler G. Smith, a West Pharmaceutical Services’ employee who has benefited from apprenticeships, engages the audience.
Thomas W. Fry, industrial training specialist with Workforce Development, offers insights on the importance of apprenticeships.
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