Penn College's Noncredit-Education/Training Arm Gets New Name

The noncredit-education/workforce-training arm of Pennsylvania College of Technology the Technology Transfer Center is getting a new name that better reflects its mission: "Workforce Development & Continuing Education."

The new name will become effective Dec. 1. There will be no major changes in the noncredit programming and services provided, said Penn College President Dr. Davie Jane Gilmour.

"The name change reflects the focus of today's marketplace on workplace learning and improving human performance," Dr. Gilmour said. "It replaces 'technology transfer' a term that was popular at the time the center was established with a title more appropriate for today's environment."

Over the past 15 years, Penn College has provided noncredit education to more than 60,000 clients, as well as services to hundreds of companies throughout Pennsylvania.

Through WDCE, the College will continue to provide continuing education for the public, customized courses for industry, needs assessments, certifications and testing, technology assessments and recommendations, product and process development, prototyping, and strategic partnerships with local and national government and organizations.

"As workforce development is increasingly recognized as a key component in keeping organizations competitive in today's environment, our focus is to become more of a strategic partner to our clients," said Larry L. Michael, associate dean for workforce development and continuing education at Penn College. "We will help organizations use learning-organization theory, establish 'corporate universities' and target training plans and initiatives to achieve their organizational missions."

For more information about WDCE at Penn College, call (570) 327-4775, send e-mail or visit on the Web.