College awarded $4 million grant for apprenticeship expansion

Published 07.11.2024

Photos by Alexandra Butler, photographer/photo editor, and Rob Hinkal, social media specialist

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    The U.S. Department of Labor announced apprenticeship grant awards on the Pennsylvania College of Technology campus on July 11, including $4 million for the college’s apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. Gathering in the college’s Victorian House before the announcement are (from left) Penn College President Michael J. Reed; Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su; Director of the Domestic Policy Council and White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden; and Williamsport Mayor Derek Slaughter.

    A $4 million federal grant will empower Pennsylvania College of Technology to continue serving as a key provider of apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training programs statewide and beyond in response to employer demand for more workers in advanced manufacturing.

    The Apprenticeship Building America grant – one of 43 totaling $195 million nationwide in a second round of funding, and the only one in Pennsylvania – was announced today during a U.S. Department of Labor event held on Penn College’s main campus. The event, offered for grant partners, elected officials, dignitaries and news media, featured remarks delivered by Julie Su, acting secretary of labor, and Neera Tanden, White House domestic policy advisor and director of the Domestic Policy Council.

    Another $49 million is being awarded through the second round of the competitive portion of the State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants to nine states, for a total of $244 million to modernize, diversify and expand the Registered Apprenticeship system in growing U.S. industries, according to the Department of Labor’s news release.

    Known as MIDAS+, the college’s grant, a successor to an $8 million MIDAS (Modular, Industry-Driven Apprenticeship Strategies) grant that expires this month, will expand the scope of Penn College’s apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, with the ultimate goal of enrolling 865 new pre-apprentices and 486 apprentices over four years.

    Populations to be served by MIDAS+ include underemployed incumbent workers in advanced manufacturing, rural and urban high school and cyber/charter school students, rural youth served by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, rural inmate re-entry populations, and residents of disadvantaged communities.

    Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su provides remarks during a U.S. Department of Labor apprenticeship announcement at Pennsylvania College of Technology on July 11.

    “We are thrilled to receive this MIDAS+ grant, which will greatly extend the scope and reach of the apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs that we deliver,” said Penn College President Michael J. Reed. “We were truly honored to host the announcement today by Acting Secretary Su and Director Tanden. The programs funded by these grant awards will yield tangible benefits for individuals and employers alike, bolstering the workforce and strengthening scores of communities nationwide.”

    MIDAS+ will also support the launch of Semiconductor Technician apprenticeships at Penn College, with an anticipated start date of July 2025. Employers locally, across Pennsylvania and anywhere in the U.S. can enroll apprentices in the semiconductor program – or any of seven other registered advanced manufacturing apprenticeships offered by the college.

    U.S. semiconductor production is expected to surge under new governmental stimulus efforts, including the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Workers in the industry will need skills in emerging technologies like robotics, automation and digitalization. The “earn and learn” model of apprenticeship will be essential to upskilling the workforce to meet this rapidly increasing demand.

    “I’m proud of the Workforce Development team at Penn College and the exceptional work they do to positively impact the lives of thousands of apprentices across the United States,” said Shannon M. Munro, vice president for workforce development. “Over 100 employers have partnered with us to access our training to upskill their workers. The new MIDAS+ grant allows us to continue scaling programs from our base in Williamsport and build on successes to create new apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship offerings in emerging industries.”

    For more about Workforce Development at Penn College, email or call 570-327-4775.

    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.

    Additional coverage of the event includes this video and photo gallery:

    Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and Director of the Domestic Policy Counsel/White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden took a few moments to answer questions following their announcement event at Penn College:

    The visitors arrive in the college’s Victorian House and get acquainted with Penn College representatives Munro (shaking Tanden’s hand) and Reed, and Williamsport’s mayor (on right).
    In a private moment before the announcement, Stefanie Condo, who completed Penn College’s apprenticeship program, meets with Su.
    Boosted by her apprenticeship opportunity, Condo is now a production operator for West Pharmaceutical Services and a registered industrial manufacturing technician journeyworker.
    Penn College’s president welcomes event attendees in the Thompson Professional Development Center and addresses the tangible benefits of pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships.
    Slaughter offers an overview of the city’s prosperous past in the lumber industry to the modern technologies of today’s companies.
    Tanden speaks to the “workforce ecosystem,” including critical national goals met by the successful apprenticeship model.
    A personal success story of challenge and change is shared by Condo.
    Penn College is an “on ramp” to the “opportunity infrastructure” and “a model for the rest of the country,” Su says.
    The speakers pause for a group photo following the announcement.
    Also joining Su for a photo are representatives of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, (on left): Jovon Hill and Kerri Gatling, from DOL Region 2 – Philadelphia; and R. Kenyon Corbett (on right), program analyst with DOL’s Office of Apprenticeship.
    Condo enjoys a memory-making moment with the federal officials …
    … and another one with colleagues from West Pharmaceutical Services: Misty Trowbridge (left), human resources specialist, and Tiffany Loner-Diemer, senior manager of learning and development.
    Bradley M. Webb (in foreground in hat), dean of engineering technologies, leads the guests across campus for a short tour.
    In the Larry A. Ward Machining Technologies Center, Webb gives a glimpse into the innovative electrical discharge machines …
    … where a titanium token was cut and engraved with Su’s name and the DOL logo (much to her delight).
    The piece was created by Bryan C. Schaefer, maintenance mechanic/millwright specialist. The back features the college’s logo and the date of July 11, 2024.
    Reed engages the group with dynamic tales of Baja SAE Williamsport, the international competition hosted in May by Penn College.
    At the end of the successful event, a final photo op in the college’s welding lab includes Webb and Munro on right.

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