The Westmoreland County Forum for Workforce Development brought together business leaders and education officials to address the skills mismatch between graduates and available jobs. Attendees discussed challenges like an aging population and lack of skilled workers to fill retiring jobs. Panelists agreed both sides need to improve communication and expectations. Educators and businesses pledged ongoing collaboration to strengthen the workforce through initiatives like vocational training, internships, and continuing education.

1. Executive Summary – Westmoreland County Forum for Workforce Development
November 13, 2014
Too many young adults are graduating from college with large debts but not in-demand skills that can help
them earn a sustaining wage.
This “skills mismatch” was one of the top concerns voiced at the first-ever Westmoreland County Forum
for Workforce Development, which was a collaborative discussion among education and business leaders
about how to meet the needs of the future workforce.
Held November 13, 2014, the Westmoreland County Forum for Workforce Development brought together
business leaders and school officials from 15 Westmoreland County school districts, three career and
technical centers, and two institutions of higher education. The purpose of the Forum was to connect
education, workforce quality, and economic development to better prepare students for the future. It was
held at the Westmoreland County Community College’s new Advanced Technology Center, and a second
Forum is being planned for the spring. The Forum is chaired by Dr. William Kerr, superintendent of the
Norwin School District.
The Westmoreland Intermediate Unit Superintendents Association conducted its regular monthly meeting
prior to the start of the workforce development forum. The association is chaired by Dr. John Wilkinson,
superintendent at Belle Vernon Area School District, with Dr. Luanne Matta serving as the executive
director of the intermediate unit. They have provided the necessary leadership and support for
superintendents to have more opportunities to collaborate with business and industry for connections
among education, workforce quality, and economic development.
Following welcoming remarks by Westmoreland County Commissioners Charles Anderson, Ted Kopas,
and Tyler Courtney, as well as Westmoreland County Community College President Dr. Tuesday Stanley,
statistics were shared that illustrate some of the challenges that Westmoreland County faces.
Westmoreland County School Leaders Meet with Industry Representatives to Solve
“Skills Mismatch” and Strengthen Future Workforce
Charles Anderson, Chairman of the Westmoreland County Board of Commissioners, addresses educators who
gathered for the Westmoreland County Forum for Workforce Development on November 13, 2014.

2. For example, the average Westmoreland County resident is
47 years old, which is the oldest average age of residents of
any Pennsylvania county, and seventh-oldest in the nation,
according to James Smith, president and CEO of the
Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland.
Part of the reason young people aren’t staying in
Westmoreland County may be because “we’re not training
people for the jobs that are here,” Mr. Smith said. “We have
wonderful career opportunities, and they don’t always require
a four-year degree.”
Chad Amond, president of the Westmoreland County
Chamber of Commerce, added that employers rely on an
educated workforce with skills that align to local demand.
“Thirty percent of the workforce at Kennametal is going to
retire in the next five to 10 years,” Mr. Amond said. “It’s going to leave a huge gap. They need many
skilled workers. Employers across the county are going to see the same things, that they need skilled
workers. And so we don’t know exactly how we will solve it, but we do know that we need to bring
together the right people. Everyone here today is going to help solve the skills mismatch in our
community.”
Jason Rigone, Executive Director of the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation, told
the educators about a European company that toured the Advanced Technology Center and was
considering locating in Westmoreland County. “The primary thing they asked about was the existing and
future workforce,” Mr. Rigone said.
Mr. Rigone also told about Aquion Energy, an award-winning manufacturer of electrochemical battery
systems, which is located the same industrial park as the Advanced Technology Center. “Aquion’s
primary question is, ‘What workforce will be there?’” Mr. Rigone said.
Doug Jensen, a vice president with Westmoreland County Community College, presented information
about the new Advanced Technology Center facility, and its role as a regional model for the new
industrial technology.
Jobs requiring associate degrees are expected to grow faster than jobs requiring four-year degrees, he said.
“Jobs that pay $50,000 or more are very real in this economy. These job opportunities usually have one
thing in common: Technical skills,” Mr. Jensen said. “The foundation of science and mathematics is
where all of that rests. We have to make sure we’re building that STEM-mindedness all the way through
our educational system, starting off in the earliest grades and continuing well past graduation.”
The community college’s response was to open the Advanced Technology Center on August 21, 2014 in
the former Sony plant at RIDC Westmoreland, adjacent to Route 119 near Interstate 70 and the New
Stanton exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The Advanced Technology Center offers programs to train
students for careers in the energy sectors, mechatronics, and other high-demand industries.
At the Forum, Mr. Jensen introduced the idea of short-term, “stackable” certificates for students. Through
dual enrollment programs offered by the community college, high school students can receive not only a
diploma at graduation, but also a certificate in Applied Industrial Technology from Westmoreland County
“Jobs that pay $50,000 or
more are very real in this
economy. These job
opportunities usually have
one thing in common:
Technical skills.”
Mr. Doug Jensen,
Vice President Economic
Development/CEO Advanced
Technology Center,
Westmoreland County
Community College

3. Community College. He described that as the first
stackable certificate on a pathway toward a
bachelor’s degree and beyond. He told the group that
he knows of Kennametal employees who began at
entry level jobs, then received company-paid
education, and are now doing Ph.D.-level work.
Dr. Don Tylinski, cofounder and president of STEM
Premier and a former superintendent of the Mount
Pleasant Area and Seneca Valley school districts,
presented information about a new interactive
platform for college and career opportunities called
STEM Premier, which showcases student talents and
abilities. Norwin School District was the first school
district in Pennsylvania to provide its high school
students with the STEM Premier platform in
November 2014, and other school districts are now
considering the program to see if it would meet their
needs. Dr. Tylinski praised the Forum members for
meeting together, adding that this Forum had the
most participation from among multiple entities that he has ever witnessed in his travels to the seven states
in which STEM Premier operates.
Panel Discussion: What Works in Education and What Could Be Improved
Mr. Amond, of the Westmoreland County Chamber, facilitated a panel discussion that included the
following business, education, and industry leaders: Jeff Kelly, CEO of Hamill Manufacturing; Brian
Lapp, vice president of human resources for the Elliott Group; Dr. Tuesday Stanley, WCCC president; and
Ed Wagner, regional director of Catalyst Connection.
Mr. Kelly touted the BotsIQ educational robotics program as a great example of “stealth learning” that is
helping to prepare young people for the future workforce. Now in its 10th
year, the program brings
together students from 60 high schools in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Students are taught to design, build,
and battle robots in gladiator-style tournaments.
In other remarks, Mr. Kelly praised the graduates of the local Career and Technology Centers, but said the
problem is there aren’t enough of them. “We have way too many lawyers, we have way too many people
with degrees who are unemployed and have huge debts,” Mr. Kelly said. “(At Hamill), I have 22-year old
employees who have no debt and are making a down payment on a house. They’re so far ahead of their
colleagues who went to college, and their future is so bright.”
Dr. Stanley, of the community college, described a winning combination of “hope and grit” as being the
two pillars of any student’s success. When students can set a goal and see themselves in it, and also get
hands-on experience, they will thrive, she said.
“Perhaps we need a dose of the cold water of reality,” she said. “The only way you get out of poverty is to
invest in yourself.” Asked what she would do if she could change one thing about the educational system,
she said she’d give additional flexibility so that every instructor could teach to each student’s ability level.
This would move some students through their learning journey more quickly, creating and maintaining
passion, while others who need more guidance can move to higher levels when they are ready.
“We have way too many
lawyers, we have way too many
people with degrees who are
unemployed and have huge
debts. I have 22-year old
employees who have no debt
and are making a down payment
on a house. They’re so far ahead
of their colleagues who went to
college, and their future is so
bright.”
Mr. Jeff Kelly,
CEO, Hamill Manufacturing

4. Mr. Lapp, of the Elliot Group, said the company has added 400 people at its Jeannette manufacturing
headquarters during the last four years, but they can’t find enough employees in the skilled trades, such as
machining and welding. One thing employers could do a better job of is communicating how clean and
high-tech most manufacturing work is nowadays – it’s no longer the dirty job of yesterday. In addition,
they now need workers with critical reasoning skills. “Back in the ‘60s, you hired someone to run a
machine and that was it,” Mr. Lapp said. “Today, we need people who can take engineering drawings and
apply them to a part.”
When he travels internationally to tour Elliot’s Southeast Asia operations, Mr. Lapp has observed that
education is more highly valued there by both family and government than in the United States. “They
don’t get much more instructional hours, but they get strong parental and system support, with tutoring
three to four nights a week, and they are held accountable for it,” Mr. Lapp said. “It’s a social norm in the
culture there.” If he could change one thing about education in the United States, Mr. Lapp said it would
be for our culture to add more accountability and more expectations upon a student’s learning. “I believe a
student will respond to expectations. That accountability and expectation to perform needs to be built back
into the system.”
Mr. Wagner, of Catalyst Connection, said he hears almost daily from manufacturing executives and
human resource managers that they need more people with critical skills like industrial technology. The
Catalyst Connection’s Adventures in Technology program is one program that bridges the gap between
students and industry, he said. It enables students to work in teams supervised by mentors at more than 60
companies, immersing young people in the issues of the business world. He also praised the community
college for building a stackable certificates program and said that the National Tooling and Machining
Association’s apprenticeship program is effective.
Following the panel discussion, the floor was opened for questions and comments from all attendees.
Superintendents, school leaders, and business executives voiced a strong desire to keep this conversation
going. They also discussed the need to break down the barriers between industry and education, with each
side getting a better understanding of the other’s challenges.
The group’s participants agreed to meet again in the spring for another large-group forum to include
break-out discussion sessions, at which they will involve more businesses and possibly teachers, guidance
counselors, and representatives of state and local government. A future meeting may provide the
participants with the opportunity to share what educational efforts are working well at each school district
or career and technology center.
“This inaugural Forum session exceeded our Steering Committee’s expectations in bringing key
stakeholders of business and education together,” said Dr. Kerr, Forum chairman. “Our hope is to obtain
grant money through the Westmoreland-Fayette Workforce Investment Board that will help formalize the
ongoing efforts of the Westmoreland County Forum for Workforce Development. Our key stakeholders
all share the same priority goal — to produce a highly skilled workforce to expand the economic
prosperity of the region.”
Article and Photo by Mr. Jonathan D. Szish,
Coordinator of School and Community Relations, Norwin School District
The Westmoreland County Forum for Workforce Development is coordinated by the school
superintendents from the 17 school districts in Westmoreland County and the Westmoreland County
Intermediate Unit. The Westmoreland County Community College’s media services department filmed the
first Forum, and a video of the event can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmI50RAWL7k&feature=youtu.be