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The Pocono Mountains Learns & Works Smarter

Learn the role the region's community and technical colleges play in developing a highly skilled workforce.

By Teree Caruthers on June 22, 2016

Stroudsburg, PA
Stroudsburg borough / Courtesy of East Stroudsburg University
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania’s Northeast Wildlife DNA Laboratory has been an integrated service of the Biological Sciences Department since 2012. Housed in the university’s Innovation Center, the lab professionals use state-of-the-art genotyping equipment to determine and differentiate genetic variation within and among populations and species of wildlife for biological and forensic applications.

The key to attracting and retaining top companies often lies in the ability to provide access to a highly skilled workforce. In the Pocono Mountains region, public schools, university and community and technical colleges work with business leaders to stay abreast of workforce needs and maintain a steady flow of talent – and training – to high-growth industries.

Training Grounds

The Monroe Campus of Northampton Community College (NCC), for example, recently partnered with the Pocono Medical Center to provide EMT additional training after determining there was a need to upgrade the EMT programs and services in Monroe County.

The college also works with Tobyhanna Army Depot, the region’s largest employer, to help recruit and train potential IT employees. NCC offers a range of programs from cybersecurity and health care to manufacturing technology and criminal justice, as well as a number of continuing education programs.

“The importance the college plays in workforce development is reflected in how we work with employers and with local economic development organizations to ensure that the workforce has the educational preparation and interpersonal skills that will enable them to be successful in employment opportunities,” says Matthew J. Connell, dean of Northampton’s Monroe Campus. “We utilize advisory boards that work with our academic programs to make sure that what we’re offering in our curriculum meets employment and employer needs.”

Higher Education in the Pocono Mountains Region

East Stroudsburg University

East Stroudsburg, PA

Esu.edu

Lackawanna College

Lake Region Center

Hawley, PA

Lackawanna.edu

Lehigh Carbon Community College

Tamaqua, PA

Lccc.edu

Northampton Community College

(Monroe County campus)

Tannersville, PA

Northampton.edu

Northampton Community College

(Pike and Wayne counties)

Honesdale, PA

Northampton.edu

Wilkes University

(Monroe County location)

Bartonsville, PA

Wilkes.edu

Good Business Partners

Connell points to the college’s 20-year relationship with biopharma company Sanofi Pasteur as an example. Northampton developed an associate degree in biotechnology program to help keep the company’s 3,200-person vaccine manufacturing operation in Swiftwater staffed with the specific skills it requires.

“We’ve had a very strong relationship with Sanofi,” Connell says, “and as a result of that relationship and conversations with key Sanofi staff members, we decided to add the biotechnology program. With their help, we’ve made sure that what we’re offering meets Sanofi’s needs but also ensures that graduates have options to gain employment in other areas that require a biotechnology background.”

Lackawanna College’s Lake Region Center works with both business and community leaders to build programs that help ensure graduates move from the classroom straight into jobs. In particular, the college’s Kiesendahl School of Hospitality and Tourism partners with area hotels and resorts to give students hands-on training and preparation to enter the region’s booming tourism industry.

“Our students work closely with the Lodge at Woodloch, Settlers Inn and Great Wolf Lodge among others. They get the hands-on experience, they job shadow and then usually are hired right after externships and internships,” says Kellyn Nolan, Lackawanna College’s Lake Region Center Director.

Nolan says the school also partners with leaders in health care, agriculture, banking and even criminal justice to not only give students opportunities to gain real-world experience, but also a leg up in the job market.

“Students in our physical therapy assistant program go into different medical facilities and observe what other physical therapists are working on, and then when they’re done with their clinical hours, most of them are hired,” Nolan says. “Our accounting majors obtain externships and internships at local banks and accounting firms. We’re currently working on a collaborative internship/externship program for sustainable agriculture programs, where students can learn different farming techniques and then possibly start or work on a farm.”

Smart Starts

The Monroe Career & Technical Institute (MCTI) and Carbon County Technical Institute play a major role in the region’s workforce development efforts by working with local schools to give high school students a head start on their career path and by developing programs of study that meet the specific needs of a growing economy.

“Our programs are designed, maintained and updated through a collaborative effort with business and industry partners, MCTI instructors, administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Education to meet the employment needs in the local area,” says Dr. Carolyn Shegelski, MCTI director. “This effort goes well beyond curriculum and equipment. This collaborative effort spills over to work-based learning activities that include cooperative education, job shadowing, and internships. We are also working to meet one of business and industry’s greatest needs at this time – employability.”

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