PENNSYLVANIA — Yesterday, the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger announced funding of $336,024 in support of manufacturing programs at Northampton Community College. His visit came following two Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career (MTTC) grants recently awarded to the college: $199,996 supporting their Industrial Skills for Manufacturing training program, and $136,028 for the Precision Machining training program. During Secretary Siger’s visit, he toured several training programs, including the Industrial Skills for Manufacturing program, and met with students.
“It’s great to be here in Bethlehem today to see the enormous impact these training programs have on Pennsylvania students,” said Secretary Siger. “The people in these training programs are learning valuable skills that prepare them to enter the workforce and build strong, sustainable careers. The investment that the Shapiro Administration is making here at Northampton Community College is an investment in Pennsylvania’s economic future.”
Students in the Precision Machining training program will learn and master the skill sets to safely and effectively operate the typical machines found in manufacturing environments. In the career exploration components of the program, students will identify and align their personal strengths and interests with various manufacturing occupations and understand the educational requirements, regional demand, and salaries for each.
In the Industrial Skills for Manufacturing training program students will gain foundational skills in maintenance through a curriculum that includes introduction to manufacturing, workplace safety, measurement, blueprint fundamentals, basic electricity, electric relay control/programmable logic controllers, and mechanical maintenance concepts.
Training-to-Career grants support projects that result in short-term work-readiness, job placement, or the advancement of manufacturing. The Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant program works collaboratively with local manufacturers to identify and teach missing essential skills for entry level applicants seeking manufacturing employment, engage youth or those with barriers to career opportunities in manufacturing, and or advance capacity for local or regional manufacturers.
“We could not be more delighted to expand our relationship with DCED,” said Lauren Loeffler, Vice President of Workforce Development, Northampton Community College. “Their support of these programs has been instrumental in helping our students, our college, and local employers to grow and move forward. These high priority occupations are critical to the success of these businesses and our local economy long-term.”
The manufacturing industry has historically been the backbone of Pennsylvania’s economy and currently employs more than 560,000 individuals across the Commonwealth. Governor Shapiro’s budget, which shares his vision to build an economy that works for everyone, enhances Pennsylvania’s longstanding position in the manufacturing industry by funding cutting edge research to spur job creation.
For more information about the MTTC program or DCED, visit the DCED website.
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