Apprenticeship Summit

Tara Loew is the Director of the PA Apprenticeship and Training Office for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. As a part of our panel of experts, Tara will be available to answer questions about getting started in apprenticeship, resources available to companies, and provide insight into how apprenticeship is impacting Pennsylvania employers and their labor challenges.

Under her guidance, the Apprenticeship and Training Office (ATO) is reestablishing a strong foundation for the policy and program development of Registered Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship across the Commonwealth of PA. Additionally, the growing ATO team is working to embed a focus on apprenticeships within the state’s workforce system. The ATO continues to emphasize equal opportunity standards and equitable selection procedures as well as increasing quality assurance and compliance efforts. Prior to her current role, Tara served as the Director of Operations at PA CareerLink Lancaster County where she oversaw program operations and staff. To support her efforts at CareerLink, Tara worked closely with employers to highlight viable career pathways outside of the traditional four-year college route, like Registered Apprenticeship.

Nick Burdick is the Region 2 Multi-State Navigator for the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Office of Apprenticeship (OA), providing technical assistance and acting as the Liaison between OA and each of the five State Apprenticeship Agencies. As part of our expert panel, Nick will give some insights into how the USDOL has seen apprenticeship grow and change, and what’s on the horizon for our Region.

Nick has worked with the USDOL since 2016 predominately as an Apprenticeship and Training Representative (ATR) in the USDOL OA’s New Jersey field office where he developed hundreds of Registered Apprenticeship programs that spanned multiple industry sectors. As of January 2022, he moved to his current position in the USDOL OA’s Philadelphia Regional Office. Nick graduated Magna Cum Laude from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with his bachelor’s degree in Workforce Education and Development.

Shannon Munro is the Vice President of Workforce Development at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Shannon oversees the department responsible for developing and delivering training, consulting, and product development services for companies in multiple business sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, clean energy, and transportation. Workforce Development houses the Apprenticeship Center, Wellsboro nursing programs, WEDnetPA, the Clean Energy Center, and the Plastics Innovation and Resource Center.

Shannon holds a B.A. degree from Bloomsburg University and an M.S. degree from Shippensburg University.

Beth Bittenbender is the Executive Director of Operations for Workforce Development at Pennsylvania College of Technology. In this role, she has been instrumental in securing almost $10 million in the last 6 years in grant funding from federal and state agencies to support apprenticeship expansion in Pennsylvania and nationally. Beth will present information on the “Sansdemic”, the global Demographic Drought that has been impacting the labor market for over 20 years, became acute during the Pandemic, and will continue to have lasting repercussions for decades. She will discuss how apprenticeship is one answer to the skills gap crisis, and how it has helped companies with recruitment, and increasingly as a retention strategy.

Alison Diehl is responsible for the overall leadership and vision for the Clean Energy Center's infrastructure, program areas, and technical assistance services. Alison provides direction in developing the Center's residential and commercial offerings in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region. She is also a key member of the PA Weatherization Assistance Program's Policy Advisory Council, a member of the National Weatherization Trainers Consortium, and actively engages the U.S. Department of Energy's National Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals. Alison is an EPA Certified Lead Renovator and a Level 1 Thermographer.

Tony Bixby has been a Nationally Registered Paramedic for over 23 years, with over 21 years of critical care experience working in both ground and air EMS. He currently serves as the Director of Prehospital Services for the UPMC North Central PA Region. He obtained his MBA from Cappella University and is a mentee in the inaugural NAEMT Lighthouse Leadership Program Class of 2023. Tony has also served as an adjunct faculty member for the past 22 years in the Pennsylvania College of Technology Paramedic Program. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania and the American Trauma Society of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Nathaniel Woods, Jr. (known as Nate) is a Senior Executive at Pennsylvania College of Technology, serving as the Special Assistant to the President for Inclusion Transformation. Before serving at Penn College, Nate served as the Interim Dean of Workforce Education and Tenured Professor for the Human Services Program at Grays Harbor College. Dr. Woods earned his Doctorate of Strategic Leadership (DSL) from Southeastern University. Before earning his doctorate, Nate released his first book on Amazon, titled: “Developing Others Through Service: Starting with ME!”