It wasn’t remotely on his mind while taking a Mechanical Systems I class in Fall 2011, but a Pennsylvania College of Technology alumnus/employee’s plumbing and pipe-fitting skills resulted in fabrication of framework for five EMS airway hoods to be used at Geisinger Medical Center.
News about Workforce Development
Sending an SOS for WFH? Free help is near!
Employees are invited to take part in a pair of complimentary Workforce Development webinars Tuesday morning that can help them adjust to working remotely. Each session, delivered via Zoom, lasts an hour.
“Working from Home with Effectiveness and Efficiency” will begin at 9, reviewing best practices of successful remote workforces and guiding participants to create an action plan. “Time Management and Prioritization Skills for Working from Home” will follow at 10:30, exploring ways to be more productive in a work-from-home setting.
For more information, email Marianne E. DePasqua, client development specialist.
NSSC offers discounted Building Operator Certification courses
The National Sustainable Structures Center of Pennsylvania College of Technology, the mid-Atlantic administrator of the Building Operator Certification, will offer two BOC Level I courses at a 75% discount made possible by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
“We’re very excited to be partnering with DEP to be able to offer BOC courses at a significantly reduced cost,” NSSC Director Alison A. Diehl said. “BOC teaches facilities personnel how to apply low-cost techniques to lower their building’s annual utility costs, while making their buildings more comfortable and safer for occupants.”
Tuition discounts for the BOC courses are available to a limited number of facilities personnel employed by K-12 school districts, local government, community colleges/universities or state agencies in Pennsylvania. Participants must have two or more years of experience in their field. The cost of the course is normally $1,895, but thanks to the DEP grant, the course is being offered for $475 (plus an optional $285 national certification exam fee for those who wish to earn their Certified Building Operator credential).
First nursing cohorts graduate from new Wellsboro facility
WELLSBORO, Pa. – Twenty-two students recently graduated from Penn College at Wellsboro’s practical nursing program, the first to fulfill their requirements at a facility dedicated in May.
The ceremony was held in the Deane Center for the Performing Arts; graduates processed in the Coolidge Theatre, then received family and friends in the lobby. The evening marked commencement for two full-time cohorts: Wellsboro and Coudersport.
Practical nursing information sessions set for Northern Tier
WELLSBORO, Pa. – Excellent career opportunities for licensed practical nurses exist in area hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, personal care facilities and human service organizations.
Penn College at Wellsboro’s Practical Nursing Program will host two information sessions for those interested in nursing as a career. The first will be at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 3, in the nursing lab at Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Wellsboro campus, 22 Walnut St.; the second will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 4, at the Potter County Education Council, 5 Water St., Coudersport.
Comprehensive project management training offered this spring
In today’s rapidly changing business environment, the ability to effectively manage projects is paramount. A well-managed project is completed on time and on budget, and meets quality expectations.
A 42-hour Mastering Project Management apprenticeship training course to be offered by Workforce Development at Pennsylvania College of Technology will give managers the tools and knowledge needed to succeed in leading such projects.
President nurtures seeds of success during all-college message
Midway through the academic year and at the on-ramp to a metamorphic new decade, transformation – the college’s internal modifications to enhance students’ life-altering opportunities – was very much on the mind of President Davie Jane Gilmour during Friday’s Spring 2020 kickoff. “Like any other organization or institution, we need to assess, adjust, change and adapt. This assessment is an ongoing process and will continue as we move through this spring semester,” she told faculty and staff assembled in the Klump Academic Center Auditorium. “I believe in our future, in the power of a Penn College education and in our ability to change lives.”
Summit illustrates benefits of schools’ pre-apprenticeship programs
Workforce Development at Penn College welcomed scores of school administrators, counselors and teachers Tuesday to its 2019 Pre-Apprenticeship Summit, where educators learned how to prepare today’s high school students for the in-demand, high-skilled careers of tomorrow. A full agenda covered various facets of pre-apprenticeships – what they are, the benefits of integration into the secondary curriculum, and how they can pave students’ path to both college and career. Featured speakers at the Thompson Professional Development Center event were Eric Ramsay, director of the Apprenticeship and Training Office, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry; Christina Herman, Career Ready specialist for the state Department of Education; and Stephen Herzenberg, executive director of the Keystone Research Center. Also presenting was Ross A. Berger, a client development specialist at the college.
State House speaker, colleagues tour campus labs





The speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives was among state legislators who visited Penn College on Thursday afternoon, touring several academic laboratories in the School of Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies. Comprising the group were Speaker Michael C. Turzai (R-McCandless), Rep. Stephanie Borowicz (R-Lock Haven), Rep. Clinton D. Owlett (R-Wellsboro), Rep. Jeff C. Wheeland (R-Williamsport) and Neil R. Lesher, Rep. Turzai’s chief of staff. During the lawmakers’ 90-minute stay, school administration and faculty – along with Workforce Development personnel – introduced them to welding and metal fabrication technologies, advanced manufacturing, and plastics and polymer engineering technologies. Facilitating the visit were President Davie Jane Gilmour; Michael J. Reed, vice president for academic affairs/provost; Patrick Marty, chief of staff and assistant to the president for college relations; and state Sen. Gene Yaw, chair of the college’s board of directors. Others on the tour included Lycoming County Commissioner-elect Scott L. Metzger and Fisher Mining Co.’s John A. Blaschak, one of the college’s corporate partners and a member of its Visionary Society.
NSSC’s preeminent training spotlighted on National Weatherization Day
The director of Penn College’s National Sustainable Structures Center was invited to serve as guest blogger for the state Department of Community and Economic Development’s observance of National Weatherization Day on Wednesday. In her post, Alison A. Diehl shares information about the center’s renowned training and technical assistance programs for home energy professionals and commercial building operators. “Working in weatherization can open the door to many opportunities in the growing energy efficiency industry,” she wrote. “For individuals with a passion to improve the quality of life in their communities and looking for a career with growth potential, earning credentials through NSSC’s training programs is a great pathway to consider.”
Penn College to offer EMT course at four regional locations
An Emergency Medical Technician course, beginning the week of Jan. 13, will be offered at four area locations by Workforce Development at Pennsylvania College of Technology.
The course meets National Emergency Medical Services Educational Standards and Instructional Guidelines and is intended to prepare students for National Registry cognitive and psychomotor examinations at the EMT level.
The course comprises 50 hours of lecture and 100 hours of practical learning. Students will select one of four sites: Penn College’s main campus, Bloomsburg Volunteer Ambulance Association’s training and administration center, Penn College at Wellsboro or Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg.
Fall course designed for entry-level phlebotomists
A Clinical Phlebotomy course will be offered this fall in the Klump Academic Center on Pennsylvania College of Technology’s main campus.
The program – Mondays and Tuesdays from Nov. 11 to Dec. 17 – will provide instruction in how to collect blood samples using venipuncture and capillary puncture procedures. The first eight classes (Nov. 11-12, Nov. 18-19, Nov. 25-26 and Dec. 2-3) are from 6 to 9 p.m.; the final four (Dec. 9-10 and 16-17) will be from 6 to 10 p.m.
President delivers keynote remarks at statewide conference

Penn College’s president was among the keynote speakers as the two-day Pennsylvania Home Performance Conference & Trade Show kicked off Monday at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in State College.
Davie Jane Gilmour talked about how the college’s time-tested strategy of hands-on education mitigates the skills gap and promotes lifelong careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Dedication held for Shell-funded plastics facility at Penn College
The Shell Polymers Rotational Molding Center of Excellence was unveiled Sept. 24, and Shell was honored for its generous support for facilities that aid in the instruction of aspiring plastics professionals at Pennsylvania College of Technology.
In a dedication ceremony attended by representatives of the college and Shell and a host of industry partners and stakeholders, participants celebrated the enhanced and upgraded academic and research lab, located in the Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center at Penn College.
The Shell Polymers Rotational Molding Center of Excellence will boost the college’s efforts to produce highly skilled graduates for the plastics industry while helping to ease the skills gap in plastics manufacturing. It also enables the college – which operates the Plastics Innovation & Resource Center – to assist plastics companies with research and development and the training of incumbent workers.
Penn College course to help prepare students for SATs
Workforce Development at Pennsylvania College of Technology is offering a course to help high school students prepare for the standardized test used as an admissions tool by many institutions of higher learning.
The course will help students better prepare for success on the exam through live instruction, self-paced learning and individual interaction with a professional instructor. The focus will be on math, English and reading, with an optional writing session available for those who wish to practice their skills and review with a Penn College faculty member.