Workforce Development Articles

Alison A. Diehl has been appointed vice president for workforce development at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Diehl’s hiring was approved June 27 by the Penn College Board of Directors. She has been serving as executive director of the college’s Clean Energy Center since November 2023; she begins her new duties on Aug. 5.

The polymer technology workforce received a boost, thanks to recent training hosted by the Plastics Innovation & Resource Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The Advanced Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship Program facilitated by Pennsylvania College of Technology continues to experience increased enrollment and engagement. Its most recent cohort featured 124 high school juniors and seniors from 21 public and private schools across the commonwealth. The longest-running registered pre-apprenticeship program in Pennsylvania, AMP enrollment numbers have doubled over the past two years.

The National Science Foundation has recognized Pennsylvania College of Technology’s commitment to the plastics/polymer workforce by awarding a $594,574 Advanced Technological Education grant. The Practical Polymers for Students and Industry grant (award No. 2400810) will facilitate the redesign of the college’s polymer technology curriculum and support enhanced recruitment activities aimed at high school students, secondary teachers and incumbent workers.

The first in a series of hands-on workshops being offered this summer and fall by the Plastics Innovation & Resource Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology proved highly beneficial for 26 participants from 11 companies based in five states. Led by prominent plastics experts, the three-day Extrusion Seminar & Hands-on Workshop provided attendees with a comprehensive overview of extruders and extrusion principles.

Pennsylvania College of Technology held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for two projects funded, in part, by a $2 million U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration grant: construction of an 1,800-square-foot Clean Energy House and renovations at the Carl Building Technologies Center on main campus.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of WEDnetPA, a three-day annual gathering is being held in Williamsport that included a visit on Tuesday to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s campus. Penn College serves as the statewide administrator of the program, currently housed in the college’s Workforce Development division. Among those in attendance was Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger and other DCED staff.

Representatives of the Tennessee Board of Regents, a partner with Penn College in providing apprenticeships, toured several advanced manufacturing labs during a visit to the college on Monday. The Tennessee Board of Regents is a system of 37 community and technical colleges; it is the largest system of higher education in Tennessee.

Celebrating the positive impact being made in people’s lives, an open house was held Wednesday at Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Clean Energy Center site in Harrisburg. The center is equipping individuals with the skills necessary to weatherize the homes of others, thus reducing energy bills, while at the same time, addressing health and safety issues such as mold, lead paint and carbon monoxide. It is an undertaking with immeasurable benefits for communities.

Pennsylvania College of Technology has been recognized as a U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Program Sponsor. The college’s advanced manufacturing apprenticeships are already registered through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry; the federal designation provides an additional and elevated status. Apprenticeships help companies train existing workers to fill skills gaps and are a powerful tool for growing the American economy.