Independence Gained: Commonwealth Encouraging IT Careers

Independence Day is important to us here in the Philadelphia area, with July 4th being a vivid annual reminder of the critical role our area played in the founding of our country.  A more personal kind of independence is the ability to support yourself, and your family, via a career path that provides opportunity. 

And when we talk to our customers about the challenges in their businesses, the topic of finding the right people for their teams frequently comes up.  Pennsylvania needs knowledge workers.  Students want career paths. As our economy relies increasingly on technology, the majority of jobs can be termed technology jobs.   

The Commonwealth recently announced initial allocations for the Dual Credit Innovation Grant Program Enrollment developed by last year, and Eastern Pennsylvania is well represented in the funding. 

The program, supported by $15 million in state funding, allows qualified high school students to earn college credits on their local campuses during the school day.  One article reports, “many of the courses are technical in nature, providing a career pipeline for skilled technicians and technologists needed by business and industry throughout Pennsylvania.”

Schools in the Direct LTx service area of Eastern Pennsylvania that have each received grants of between $808,000 and $1,000,000 to educate our future workforce include Kutztown University, Bucks County Community College, West Chester University, Community College of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Lehigh Carbon Community College, and Luzerne County Community College. 

Giving students a head start on college-level work and an early crack at college credit makes it more likely that they will complete college, as well as offering them more opportunities to narrow in on their course of study earlier and develop specialized knowledge. 

A better prepared workforce is something all employers need.  The state’s building a bridge to students for a quicker path to careers, of which so many will be in technology, is an initiative we as employers can all get behind.