(The Center Square) – Work-based learning opportunities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, or PASSHE, will be getting a boost from the Appalachian Regional Commission.
The 13-state organization has awarded three of the system’s rural schools, Slippery Rock, East Stroudsburg, and Commonwealth, with $350,000 toward initiatives that partner with local employers over the next three years.
Those employers will give students opportunities to develop skills specific to the industries in which they hope to work through placements like internships and apprenticeships. The state places a strong emphasis on STEM and healthcare, both fields that, if developed, they hope will help underserved rural communities to bounce back from steady population decline.
“By bringing together universities and employers from across our commonwealth, this funding will provide students with hands-on learning opportunities and better prepare them for their future careers,” said U.S. Sen. John Fetterman.
The Democrat served as mayor of Braddock in the western region of the state, just over an hour south of Slippery Rock.
“These grants will help develop the next generation of the Pennsylvania workforce, and I’m grateful for the Appalachian Regional Commission’s support,” said Fetterman. “This is exactly the type of investment we need in Pennsylvania’s rural communities.”
The grants will allow faculty and employers to forge partnerships that lead to projects and opportunities that give students hands-on work experience. The hope is that these connections earlier in a student’s education will assist them toward their long-term goals.
“Our students will gain skills and use them in practical ways while developing a strong portfolio and building the industry connections needed to secure rewarding internships or to start a career,” said PASSHE interim Chancellor Christopher Fiorentino.
Fiorentino also touched on the state’s ongoing worker shortage, noting that the program could help employers access the talent they need.
The move might also help to address complaints that colleges have foregone the obligation to equip students with what they need in lieu of abstract degrees and mountains of student debt. The criticisms have been among several factors – including demographic shifts – that have led to a downturn in enrollment across most of the PASSHE system.
“PASSHE’s work-based learning initiative is another example of the State System’s commitment to delivering the workforce talent Pennsylvania’s employers – public and private – need to grow and thrive,” said Shelley Scherer, president and CEO of PASSHE Foundation.
The grant is part of more than $1.2 million in funding recently secured by the foundation for work-based learning at PASSHE schools. A $750,000 investment from the Strada Education Foundation supported a pilot program with Highmark Health which began last year.
