ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Pennsylvania College of Technology starting this month will offer an Advanced Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship program for Allentown School District students.
Penn College, an affiliate of Penn State University in Williamsport, Lycoming County, will provide instructor-led labs at Allentown schools, according to a news release.
Students also will learn through self-guided online modules.
The program will run from Jan. 23 through May 8.
“This is how we create real opportunity...”Carol Birks, Allentown School District superintendent
It will train students in the hands-on skills they need to get entry-level manufacturing jobs, including those in polymer, or plastics, manufacturing.
Additionally, students will learn about the foundational theory of manufacturing and “earn competencies required to attain a Certified Manufacturing Associate credential,” the news release said.
“This is how we create real opportunity — through aligning education, industry and community to light the way forward for every student,” Superintendent Carol Birks said in a statement.
'Contribute from Day 1'
ASD students also will get networking opportunities with regional manufacturing companies, including employer partners that have apprenticeship programs, the news release said.
Adam Yoder, program manager of Penn College Workforce Development, said in a statement that the Advanced Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship program is a “win-win situation” for students and manufacturers.
He said manufacturing companies struggle to find young workers with the necessary foundational skills to “contribute from Day 1” on the job.
The pre-apprenticeship program addresses that challenge while helping graduates find jobs, he said.
Penn College’s Advanced Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship program gets funding from the U.S. Labor Department, according to the release.
Students in the program must be 16 or older to be eligible for grant funding to cover program fees.
'Open doors for Allentown students'
Additionally, Penn College got a $50,000 grant from the state Education Department last year to enhance economic and educational development in the Lehigh Valley.
The upcoming pre-apprenticeship partnership with Allentown School District is part of that effort.
“The partnership...will give these students hands-on experience and hopefully light a spark for a very bright future."State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, House Education Committee Chairman
State Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh/Northampton, and state Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, helped secure that Job Training and Education Programs Grant.
In Wednesday statements, the lawmakers said the Advanced Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship program will help ASD students land “good-paying jobs” and “family sustaining careers.”
“The partnership between ASD and Penn College to offer the Advanced Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship program will give these students hands-on experience and hopefully light a spark for a very bright future,” said Schweyer, who also is the House Education Committee Chairman.
Miller called the partnership between ASD and Penn College “strategic.”
“It will open doors for Allentown students to gain the hands-on experience they need to thrive in these fields,” he said.
