Five graduate from pre-apprenticeship program

Published 04.19.2021

News
Workforce Development
Apprenticeship Technology

    Berger welcomes the crowd and explains the program's focus on "young people looking to explore a field, to begin a new career – in this case, advanced manufacturing."Dickey – whose program helps young adults prepare for and succeed in education, training and employment – tells the cohort, "The skills you've learned are lifelong skills for any occupation."Attendees were seated in Penn's Inn, appropriately spaced under pandemic protocols.Sam Shea, human resources manager for PMF Industries Inc., was among the industry partners at Monday's event. PMF, which began by forming metal cocktail shakers in the 1960s, has grown into a premier manufacturer in such diverse fields as hospitality, aerospace and pharmaceuticals.Howard (right) gives a certificate (and a congratulatory elbow-bump) to Cormelison.Penn College's Advanced Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship program held a brief ceremony Monday morning, acknowledging the five graduates who successfully completed the 10-week training.

    While the AMP program is generally geared toward students in high schools and career and technical centers, exposing them to potential livelihoods while they formulate their respective paths, the latest group featured young adults embarking on new adventures: Daquan Alford Jr., of Williamsport; Christopher Cormelison, of Hughesville; Racheal Pandolfell, of Berwick; Dylan Peters, of Mill Hall; and Ryan Yingling, of Lock Haven.

    "You did it! Congratulations!" the class was told by instructor Kevin E. Howard, an industrial technology specialist with Workforce Development, who presented the students with their completion certificates. "We are in a manufacturing renaissance right now, and the opportunities for you are endless." Howard said he enjoying working with the students every Monday and Wednesday as they absorbed the various topic areas, from math and computer-aided design to safety data sheets and robotics, and urged them to "take that energy, that drive, and keep doing new things."

    He was joined in the proceedings by Ross A. Berger, manager of the MIDAS grant that funds Workforce Development's apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship offerings; Paula Dickey, manager of the Yes to the Future program; and representatives from three area businesses (First Quality, with two Clinton County locations; PMF Industries in Williamsport; and SA Piper Logistics, in Lock Haven).

    The Bush Campus Center ceremony, which also acknowledged the career counselors assigned to the students, was followed by a walking tour of campus with admissions representative Marcus Kernan.

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