INDIANA, Pa. – Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Deputy Secretary Eileen Cipriani visited the Indiana County Technology Center (ICTC) on Sept. 12 to highlight Governor Tom Wolf’s new and innovative PAsmart initiative to prepare students with the education they need to obtain good, middle-class jobs.
The governor announced recently that ICTC will receive a $750,000 grant to construct a workforce training hub for students from kindergarten through college.
“We are very excited the Wolf Administration is supporting a new workforce training hub,” said Cipriani. “It is our goal that by 2025, 60 percent of Pennsylvanians will have some form of postsecondary education and training. Governor Wolf has proposed historic new PAsmart investments to improve access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and training programs. This new facility, and its focus on providing our very youngest students with STEM education, will ensure that youth get the real-world skills they need to compete in a 21st century workforce.”
PAsmart, a first-of-its-kind $30 million investment, is a new way of thinking about job training and workforce development by providing targeted funding for STEM education, career and technical training, and more, so students and workers get the training and skills needed for middle class jobs in expanding industries.
The ICTC was approved for the funding through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program to renovate and expand its facility to create a 25,000-square-foot workforce training hub for students in kindergarten through college. The new building will include the addition of a satellite campus of the Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC).
Additionally, the new facility will house the Central Allegheny Challenger Learning Center, a NASA affiliated foundation, to engage students and teachers in dynamic, hands-on exploration and discovery opportunities that strengthen knowledge in STEM. The project aligns with the Wolf Administration’s workforce development goals by providing necessary workforce training.
“Promoting career and technical education as a viable career path ensures that we have a job-ready workforce to meet local employers’ needs,” said Cipriani. “In addition to academic proficiency, students train using the latest techniques on industry-standard equipment and the center works closely with local employers to design programs to ensure that students are work-ready upon graduation, and that job seekers have the skills they need to obtain good, middle class jobs.”
Cipriani toured ICTC’s job training programs including the Machining Technology, Welding, and Collision Repair labs and the Digital Communications classroom. She also spoke with representatives from PPG Industries who partner with the school to provide cooperative education program opportunities. By completing ICTC’s PPG training program and successfully passing a written and performance assessment, ICTC senior students can earn PPG’s Blue Level Industry Certification that is recognized, not only nationally but globally.
“ICTC is excited to be involved in Governor Wolf’s PAsmart initiative,” said Indiana County Technology Center’s Administrative Director Michael McDermott. “Our everyday goal is to educate, train and prepare our students to become workforce ready. The more resources, skills, equipment and technology we can provide them, the more successful they will be; which ultimately leads to the greater success of Indiana County, the surrounding communities and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
The Indiana County Technology Center is a regional technology center dedicated to providing students with industry-certified technical and academic-enriched career programs. The school provides state-of-the-art equipment within a safe environment. Through integrated technical and academic curricula, students learn theory and skills providing pathways to post-secondary education and/or employment in high growth and high-demand careers.
The Central Allegheny Challenger Learning Center will help inspire students to pursue careers in STEM fields, and provide an outlet to learn and apply important life skills. The Center, which will be the first one in the commonwealth, will serve 22 counties in western and central Pennsylvania – from east Pittsburgh to Altoona, from Somerset north to Elk County.
For more information about pursuing an education and career in Pennsylvania at any stage of life, visit PAsmart.
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