Two state senators visited Penn College on Friday, getting a firsthand look at the institution's effectiveness in preparing students for careers readily and repeatedly shown to be "essential." Sens. Scott Martin, R-Strasburg, who heads the Senate Education Committee, and Dave Argall, R-Pottsville, chair of the Senate State Government Committee, toured a variety of instructional labs in the college's three academic schools: brewing and fermentation science, collision repair/automotive restoration, culinary arts and hospitality, electrical technology, nursing, surgical technology and dental hygiene, plastics and polymer technology, and welding and metal fabrication. They also learned how Workforce Development at Penn College helps close the skills gap, most notably through its apprenticeship programs, and enjoyed lunch at Le Jeune Chef Restaurant. The legislators and their staff were invited by state Sen. Gene Yaw, who chairs the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. The Loyalsock Township Republican has also been a member of the college's board of directors since 2009, serving as its chairman for the past eight years.