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 was announced today during a U.S. Department of Labor event with remarks delivered by Julie Su, acting secretary of labor, and Neera Tanden, White House domestic policy advisor.
Two recent workshops conducted by the renowned Plastics Innovation & Resource Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology delivered training to 23 professionals representing 15 companies, six states, Canada and Costa Rica. The five-day Injection Molding Processing Series offered a comprehensive examination of injection molding technology, and the two-day Extrusion Die Design Workshop introduced die design principles for all major extrusion processes.
Alison A. Diehl has been appointed vice president for workforce development at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Diehl’s hiring was approved June 27 by the Penn College Board of Directors. She has been serving as executive director of the college’s Clean Energy Center since November 2023; she begins her new duties on Aug. 5.
The polymer technology workforce received a boost, thanks to recent training hosted by the Plastics Innovation & Resource Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology.
The Advanced Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship Program facilitated by Pennsylvania College of Technology continues to experience increased enrollment and engagement. Its most recent cohort featured 124 high school juniors and seniors from 21 public and private schools across the commonwealth. The longest-running registered pre-apprenticeship program in Pennsylvania, AMP enrollment numbers have doubled over the past two years.
The National Science Foundation has recognized Pennsylvania College of Technology’s commitment to the plastics/polymer workforce by awarding a $594,574 Advanced Technological Education grant. The Practical Polymers for Students and Industry grant (award No. 2400810) will facilitate the redesign of the college’s polymer technology curriculum and support enhanced recruitment activities aimed at high school students, secondary teachers and incumbent workers.
The first in a series of hands-on workshops being offered this summer and fall by the Plastics Innovation & Resource Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology proved highly beneficial for 26 participants from 11 companies based in five states. Led by prominent plastics experts, the three-day Extrusion Seminar & Hands-on Workshop provided attendees with a comprehensive overview of extruders and extrusion principles.
Pennsylvania College of Technology held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for two projects funded, in part, by a $2 million U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration grant: construction of an 1,800-square-foot Clean Energy House and renovations at the Carl Building Technologies Center on main campus.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of WEDnetPA, a three-day annual gathering is being held in Williamsport that included a visit on Tuesday to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s campus. Penn College serves as the statewide administrator of the program, currently housed in the college’s Workforce Development division. Among those in attendance was Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger and other DCED staff.
Representatives of the Tennessee Board of Regents, a partner with Penn College in providing apprenticeships, toured several advanced manufacturing labs during a visit to the college on Monday. The Tennessee Board of Regents is a system of 37 community and technical colleges; it is the largest system of higher education in Tennessee.
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