College honored as SkillsUSA Pennsylvania Partner of the Year

Pennsylvania College of Technology has been named the SkillsUSA Pennsylvania 2025 Partner of the Year for its strong support of the student-led organization – a renowned champion of the skilled trades – for nearly five decades.

Penn College President Michael J. Reed accepted the award for the college at the State Leadership and Skills Conference in Hershey on April 2, accompanied by Bradley M. Webb, dean of engineering technologies; James N. Colton II, assistant professor of welding, SkillsUSA advisor and state chair of welding sculpture and welding fabrication; and Ed Rodarmel, retired faculty member, past SkillsUSA advisor and founder of the Penn College SkillsUSA chapter.

“I’m proud to accept the 2025 Partner of the Year Award; however, this award should be received by our amazing faculty and staff, who invest significant time and expertise so that students can effectively compete,” Reed told the nearly 2,000 competitors and instructors in attendance, adding, those faculty “have forged an incredible and long-lasting partnership with you.”

In her introductory remarks for the honor, Baile McIntyre, SkillsUSA Pennsylvania’s treasurer, representing Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center, praised the college for its long record of supporting SkillsUSA.

“This year’s SkillsUSA Pennsylvania Partner of the year has made an impact throughout the state for many years,” she said. “Pennsylvania College of Technology is a national leader in applied technology education, with a strong focus on meeting the workforce’s demand for highly skilled graduates in essential career fields. They truly believe that our SkillsUSA mission and aspirations align seamlessly with their educational mission and model. They feel their hands-on approach to learning and leading closely mirrors that of SkillsUSA.”

Penn College has partnered with SkillsUSA – formerly the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA) – since 1978 when Rodarmel founded the chapter and served as an advisor until his retirement in 2012.

Colton, a former student and SkillsUSA Welding national runner-up, succeeded Rodarmel as the college’s SkillsUSA advisor. Penn College has hosted all District 6 competitions since 2015 and, more recently, the state welding and welding fabrication competitions.

SkillsUSA Pennsylvania students have benefited from the scholarships that are given annually to medalists. Over the past three years, Penn College has awarded nearly $165,000 in scholarships to SkillsUSA competitors.

In a letter to the college announcing the Partner of the Year honor, Dodie Amigh, executive director of SkillsUSA Pennsylvania, wrote: “It is my pleasure to announce that we selected you as our SkillsUSA Pennsylvania 2025 Partner of the Year. You represent the loyal people in our organization that dedicate their lives to providing a path for our young adults to excel in their skills, leadership, professionalism and community service. These are also the characteristics of our Partner of the Year Award winners.”

Representing nearly 400,000 career and technical education students and teachers, SkillsUSA chapters thrive in middle schools, high schools and college/postsecondary institutions nationwide. SkillsUSA students hone their hands-on skills against current industry standards in more than 130 occupational areas, from 3D animation to welding.

For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education and a special mission affiliate of Penn State, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.