Renewable Resources
By Gardner, Dave
Despite its history as a bastion of unskilled labor, northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) has become the site of comprehensive efforts aimed at development of a modem and educated workforce.
With ongoing initiatives such as the development of Wall Street West, regional business and educational leaders are expecting increased levels of success.
Michael A. MacDowell, Ed.D., president of Misericordia University, describes his interpretation of regional workforce development: “I now see NEPA’s glass as half full,” he says. “We’re making progress, but not in the category of Charlotte or Austin. With appropriate stimulus, such as the availability of jobs, more college graduations will result.”
According to Dr. MacDowell, NEPA has achieved a noteworthy high school graduation rate. The prime question, he asks, is whether the region’s schools are graduating students with college-level work capability, especially in math and science, and adds that NEPA may have some catching catch up to do in this area.
He also says that 77 percent of NEPA’s high school graduates attend some level of post-secondary education. For the region’s population aged 25 to 64, 21 percent have earned a four-year degree.
“Pennsylvania’s overall avenge for these degrees is 25 percent, and we therefore need to improve this margin, says Dr. MacDowell. “At present discounted value, a person with a four-year degree will earn $1.35 million more in their lifetime than a person who doesn’t.”
NEPA has a large first-generation college student base. According to Dr. MacDowell, during 2007 less than 50 percent of regional college students had a parent who graduated from college.
He says that the parents of these new students are taking a tremendous leap of faith concerning where college will lead. A good solid liberal arts education may be a ticket to Wall Street West, because corporate human resource departments will train in financial specifics if a candidate can write, reason and think.
Regarding the large number of NEPA students who still pursue no post-secondary education, Dr. MacDowell explains that males dominate this category College freshman are now 57 percent female.
The fact that male high school graduates may locate income opportunities immediately after graduation, such as within construction, discourages many from attending college. Females, as a rule, may lack this income opportunity.
Dr. MacDowell says that it can therefore be harder to convince many males of a need for higher education. Any educational curriculum must demonstrate a relevance to their lives, with firm career possibilities.
“There’s also a tendency for many schools to write off the kids who don’t see a need for education,” says Dr. MacDowell. “One thing that can be done is to show them the available jobs are not so great considering the inflationary factor.”
Dr. Robert G. Garraty, Ph.D., executive director of the Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board (WIB) in Harrisburg, says that current educational statistics indicate NEPA is doing very well with workforce development.
“You folks up there get it,” says Dr. Garraty. “NEPA is suffering from less parochialism than other parts of the state, and WIB collaboration is high.”
Dr. Garraty says that a real shift has occurred with workforce development, because in the past applicable development funds attempted to address only the needs of the unemployed. Now, funding is from various sources and the state’s focus is also on the 95 percent of those already working.
Creative workforce development programs are the wave of the future, according to Dr. Garraty.
He identifies an effort at Luzerne County Community College administered Dr. Peter Balsamo, vice president for workforce and community development, that identifies “better” GED test scores and refers these people for higher education.
“This is the type of out-of-the-box program were looking for,” says Dr. Garraty.
Chris Haran, president and CEO of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Technology Institute and the Great Valley Technology Alliance, says that educational misinformation exists in NEPA because of skewed statistics from the large number of the region’s older people.
“While at one time you didn’t need formal education or degrees to get family-sustaining jobs, this has changed,” says Haran. “In Lackawanna County, for ages 25 to 55, 23 percent of the people have a four-year degree. In our 13-county region, around 80 percent begin higher education. Yet, the graduation numbers are much lower, and this involves social questions. The education is here if desired.”
Colin Furneaux, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment at the North Pocono School District, says that 75 percent of the school’s graduates go on to some form of higher education. Whether they finish is another question. “As educators we must do a better job with post graduation surveys,” he says.
General program students are a traditional challenge when teaching science, according to Furneaux. Pennsylvania’s PSSA exams in grades four, eight and eleven provide a bottom educational line for these kids, but many curriculums can still be strengthened.
North Pocono is expanding its student summer reading requirements. Classroom technology such as interactive electronic blackboards with memory and Internet access called “smart boards” are also in use.
School staffing issues are vital for workforce development, according to Furneaux. The various tax bases within Pennsylvania’s districts remain a key to educational budgets, with rural and blue collar districts suffering from smaller tax bases.
“Culture, local control and financial resources can slow educational progress,” says Furneaux. “How to make teachers want to go to rural and urban school districts with smaller tax bases is a big problem. Even at North Pocono, we sometimes cannot hire the best instructor because of salary issues.”
An educational problem confirmed by Furneaux involves a student population that resists education. The modern economy threatens to leave them behind.
“Jobs for this unskilled group are vanishing rapidly,” says Furneaux. “Teaching from parents and social groups has indicated to these kids that they can make a living without education. Local magistrates can also be lenient about truancy, but 30 days of absence greatly reduces the chances the student will move on.”
North Pocono has made an attempt to understand these lost kids and the financial burden they create.
A “Twilight School” program offered after school for kids with social problems and at risk of not graduating provides interventional instruction.
“During our recent graduation ceremonies, there were four graduates from our program,” adds Furneaux. “I was very pleased.”
Chuck Leonard, executive director of the Pocono Mountains Economic Development Corporation, explains that the Pocono workforce is growing faster than its overall NEPA counterpart. The region’s population measures two years younger than the populace within Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.
According to Leonard, Monroe County’s population stood at 38,000 in 1970. By 2000 it had grown to 138,000, with estimates it now is just under 170,000. Within the working age population, 25 percent have earned four-year degrees with the percentages for advanced degrees even higher.
“Monroe County now has the lowest nativity rate in Pennsylvania,” says Leonard. “Less than 40 percent of the county’s people are living where they grew up. We also have 19,000 to 21,000 people who commute daily to urban areas for work, and they are generally not considered part of Monroe’s workforce unless they lose their job. According to a survey, 60 percent of these commuters are clerical or blue collar with high urban salaries. They’re not just white collars professionals as the media represents.”
Tourism and retail remain the No. 1 occupations within the Poconos, although marketing positions require a college degree. Leonard says that when Great Wolf Lodge opened, the company received 4,000 applications for 400 jobs.
According to Leonard, local employers agree that the quality of the high school workforce has dropped significantly. He says that the United States is doing a “lousy” job with the bottom 20 to 40 percent of students who are suffering from complex social problems.
Leonard believes that this situation with “lost” kids is sociological and has to do with learning and motivation. Many parents offer few educational guidelines, low discipline, a lack of leadership and provide poor examples.
“While the argument that we’re not turning out sufficient human capital is baloney, we also can’t seem to get across to many kids that rapid change is now the norm and they must be flexible and educated to compete,” says Leonard. “Commitment is a problem for our employers, employees and students, and as a nation were not very good at figuring out the talents and skills that will be needed for markets in the future. Many kids need alternatives to strict formal education, and trade educations are vital.”
A $15 million Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant is now flowing from the U.S. Department of Labor to develop an educated workforce for the financial services industry in NEPA. The ongoing Wall Street West project will be the direct beneficiary of these funds.
Jim Ryan, director of outreach and network development for Wall Street West, says that a rising tide floats all boats, and that the Wall Street West Initiative and its inherent workforce development will be good for all of NEPA’s commerce.
“Collaborative practices are vital in this effort says Ryan. “The pulling together of the five state workforce boards has been instrumental for collaboration, as well as the involved counties.”
Susan Shaffer, director of workforce initiatives with Wall Street West, says NAFTA hit NEPA hard. Thousands of regional workers lost their livelihoods, and were forced to retool their skills.
Shaffer describes the NEPA workforce as very talented, committed and willing to support employers with retraining.
According to Shaffer, America’s future workforce will deal with a market where only 15 to 20 percent of the total positions involve unskilled labor. Four-year degree positions will involve 20 to 25 percent of the workforce, while 60 percent of the workers will qualify for employment with two-year degrees.
“The challenge is to align workforce educations to these demands, and this is all a long-term investment,” says Shaffer. “Career awareness programs don’t have tangible results, but are critical as part of long-term planning. We also need to do a better job of being positive about NEPA and our use of technology.”
She also says that the financial concepts being taught through the use of WIRED grants offer significant help as to whether an individual will work in the financial services industry.
Copyright Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal Aug 2008
(c) 2008 Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.