​On Tuesday, February 2nd, students interviewed with six different manufacturing companies from the area. The program, called FIT 4 Manufacturing, is designed to give individuals a basic familiarity with the manufacturing industry, its career ladders and to prepare participants for entry level positions.
 
Over the last several weeks, eight individuals have experienced hands-on instruction in manufacturing processes such as grinding, milling, die setting and precision measurement. They have also attended classes on communication skills, powered industrial trucks, career ladders, work ethic, resume writing, and mock interviewing. Almost every student who has completed the FIT 4 programs since 2012 has been offered at least one position as a result of the final interview day. The participating companies on February 2nd included: Elk County Heat Treaters, J.I.T. Tool & Die, Keystone Powdered Metal, Metal Powder Products (MPP), Metaldyne (St Marys), and Metco/Pro-Process. Two of the eight students who participated in this most recent class received jobs prior to the conclusion of the program.
 
The program is coordinated by the Community Education Center of Elk and Cameron Counties and the PA CareerLinks® Elk, Clearfield, and McKean Counties and is funded by the North Central Workforce Development Board. For more information, contact the CEC at 781-3437 or the PA CareerLink® at 834-2857. 

New Rural Regional College of Northern Pennsylvania and the Education Consortium of the Upper Allegheny Working on College Plan
 
The Board of Trustees of the Rural Regional College of Northern Pennsylvania (RRC), appointed in December 2014 by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, has been making plans and progressing toward the launch of a new and unique college for nine counties in northwest Pennsylvania. The new college will provide affordable, accessible associate degrees, certificates, and training programs for residents of Cameron, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, McKean, Potter, Venango and Warren Counties.
 
The Board has taken steps to formally incorporate, establish by-laws, access funding through the Department of Education (PDE), and name the Education Consortium of the Upper Allegheny (ECUA) as the Project Executive. The ECUA will be responsible for managing the day to day operations of the Board of Trustees and oversee the development of the operational and financial plans for the new college. “There is a lot of work to be done in the next several months, and we are excited to have the ECUA assisting the Board,” said former state senator and Chair of the RRC Board, Mary Jo White. “There is a clear need for accessible and affordable opportunities for technical training and associate degree programs for the Northwest and North Central regions and the educational opportunities provided by this new college must be aligned to the needs of regional employers,” continued White. The 7,000 square miles the college is charged with serving will present a unique opportunity for the Board to develop innovative delivery methods utilizing existing capacity and infrastructure throughout the region. “We want every community from Erie to Emporium to be able to access education through this new college.”
The Board has targeted the fall of 2017 for enrolling students as it continues to develop the plans for the college, including the search for a President and Chief Financial Officer.
After several years of planning and with the input of educators and industry leaders across the northern tier of Pennsylvania, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) and Senator Scott Hutchinson (R-21) worked with the House of Representatives, particularly Representatives Martin Causer and Kathy Rapp who introduced legislation which sought to establish this rural community college. With passage of PA 126 of 2014, the Rural, Regional College of Northern Pennsylvania was created and funding was appropriated. Through the ECUA pilot program, designed to test a delivery model and prove the need for such an educational option, and in partnership with Gannon University, ECUA has been providing accessible associate degree programs at community college cost to underserved residents of the region since 2012 and was instrumental in the development of the legislation for the new college. ECUA will continue to provide these affordable associate degrees through Gannon University until the new Rural, Regional College opens. For more information, contact Duane Vicini at 814-757-5731.
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Leadership Elk County Arts and Education Day
On Wednesday, February 10th the Leadership Elk County class met for their monthly session. This month, Arts and Educational opportunities in Elk County were highlighted. The group started the day at ECCHS where they heard from the High School Principal, Sandy Florig, the Technology Coordinator, Marlene Stubber, and School Counselor, Jill Struble. The team discussed the recent physical and educational changes to the school and highlighted their recent iPad, dual enrollment, and career education initiatives.  Pete Winklebauer, Art teacher and local artist gave an overview and tour of the high school’s art department.
Abbi Peters, Executive Director at Elk County Council on the Arts (ECCOTA) joined the group at ECC to speak about the county’s Arts in Education initiatives and grants that are available for arts programming in the area.  
The group then traveled to SMAHS where the High School Principal, Joe Schlimm and Assistant Principal, Warren Beck highlighted the career and technical education facilities in the high school. Mr. Schlimm lead the group on a tour of the Building Construction and Metal Working Occupations programs where instructors, Ed Brem and Ben Schneider highlighted projects their students are working on.  
The group enjoyed a delicious lunch at the SMAHS cafeteria. The day’s lunch and transportation were sponsored by C&A Seamless Gutters. Following lunch, the group headed to Ridgway where they toured ECCOTA and Elkwood Arts at Dickinson Center where Production Manager, Tim Thomas gave an overview of the many products and services that are offered through their wood shop and sheltered workshop program.  
The group ended the day with a trip to Brockway to visit the BC3 community college campus where Jill Martin-Rend, BC3@Brockway Director, gave a presentation on the new educational opportunities available to residents of Elk County. Chuck Purviance, Arts Programming Coordinator at Brockway Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT) shared information on the free youth arts program and adult education certificate courses for Elk residents at the center. He also highlighted the adult art classes that BCAT offers. Chuck awed the class by giving his presentation while demonstrating how to create a ceramic bowl with a potter’s wheel. To finish out the day Kate Brock, CEC Executive Director and Board Secretary of the newly developed Rural Regional Community College discussed the educational opportunities currently available through the Community Education Center and the future opportunities that will be available through a Rural Regional Community College initiative.
The Leadership Elk County class is offered in partnership through the Community Education Center, the Ridgway-Elk County Chamber of Commerce and the St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce. Applications for next year’s class will be available in April. For more information, visit leadershipelkcounty.com or contact the CEC at cec@communityedcenter.com or (814) 781-3437.

The Community Education Center’s Leadership Elk County program (LEC) has selected its Community Projects for the spring of 2016. The objective of the project is to provide LEC participants with an opportunity to learn how to make a direct and visible impact in their communities through service to an organization or agency. “We consistently hear that nonprofits and public agencies need added capacity and help for certain short term projects,” said Kate Brock, executive director of the CEC and Leadership Elk County Advisory Board. In the fall, local nonprofit organizations submitted applications to LEC requesting volunteers to assist with a specific need. “We received more requests for volunteers than we can provide, so we had to carefully select and combine the projects where feasible,” says Brock. LEC participants will be volunteering with the following agencies and projects: Headwaters Charitable Trust and Local’Motion will be developing a local Community Supported Agriculture program; the Ridgway YMCA will be updating a pavilion located in their parking lot; Oak Manor will receive assistance in identifying grants to increase accessibility and mobility in their homes; Ridgway Chamber of Commerce will benefit from fundraising events or programs to restore the gazebo on the Courthouse lawn; Dickinson Center will utilize LEC volunteers to facilitate an awareness campaign for aging and mental health issues; Community Nurses and Elk County Catholic High School will partner with LEC to expand Senior Outreach services and explore the creation of a program to provide senior citizens with basic non-food necessities. The LEC program is offered through the Community Education Center in partnership with the Ridgway/Elk County and St. Marys Area Chambers of Commerce.  The ten month program is aimed at educating its participants in the strengths and weaknesses of the county in order to develop informed, civic oriented volunteers to help direct the future of Elk County.  More information can be found at www.leadershipelkcounty.com or by calling the CEC at 781-3437.
 
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Ridgway Area High School students headed into the community for their quarterly “Career Cruise” experience.  To prepare for the future, students have been exploring careers in the classroom. To reinforce what they have learned in the classroom, students toured local companies to learn about careers in Elk County. Stops on the tour included North Central PA Regional Planning and Development Commission, Metal Powder Products, the Elk County Courthouse, and 97.5 The Hound. Patalano’s Place II sponsored lunch for the students and shared tips for owning a small business in the area.  At each location students learned about the variety of career opportunities and the skills and training they would need for each. This program was coordinated by the Community Education Center’s DISCOVER Partnership, a business and education partnership aimed at creating an awareness about local opportunities and forming connections between students and local companies. For more information contact the CEC at 781-3437 or cec@communityedcenter.com.

St. Marys- Penn Highlands Elk partnered with the Community Education Center’s (CEC) DISCOVER Partnership to offer “Healthcare Careers Day” for local students in Elk County. Those in attendance represented ECC, Johnsonburg, Ridgway, and St. Marys area high schools. Throughout the day, staff at Penn Highlands engaged students in hands-on tours and demonstrations in selected departments. Groups visited the Pulmonary Function Testing Lab, Radiology, Rehabilitation, and the Operating Room. Following the tours, hospital staff demonstrated patient care on “SimMan,” a life-sized mannequin used for training. Hospital administration was on hand to discuss the demand for a range of careers in healthcare and the education required for each. They also answered a multitude of questions relating to the healthcare field. All in attendance got a behind-the-scenes glimpse into careers in healthcare.  Students hope to use the information that was learned as they plan for life after graduation. For more information on this and similar programs offered by the DISCOVER Partnership, contact the CEC at (814) 781-3437 or visit communityedcenter.com. For more information on careers at Penn Highlands Elk, visit www.phhealthcare.org.

PRESS RELEASE:  December 9, 2015 by Tracey Williams
On December 9th, 2015, the Leadership Elk County (LEC) participants had the opportunity to learn about Elk County's history. The intent of this learning opportunity was to learn about how Elk County has evolved and been preserved. The day began at the St. Marys Historical Society with Michelle Bogacki, an alumni of LEC program, welcoming everyone.
Ray Beimel, Historical Society Director and owner of Beimel Photography, started the day showing a slideshow presenting the history of Elk County. He touched on the resources that were imperative to the land such as railroads, mining, farming, rivers, and lumber. He pointed out that Elk County was extremely thick with forest and the first tree that fell was in Iron Run. He continued to present interesting facts regarding the history of how businesses began and how some are still viable today. Also, Ray gave a tour of the Historical Society to the participants. Items such as old clothing, medical supplies, and pictures of people and businesses of the past were shown to the group to provide a look into the early history of Elk County. 
Prior to the day’s meeting, participants were asked to conduct an interview with a person who they found fascinating such as a community leader, business owner or a relative. They were to engage in conversation about this persons experiences and how things have changed over time in Elk County.   Each participant summarized their interview and gave a three minute presentation to the group.  After presentations were given, it was evident that in order to understand history to its fullest extent one needs to experience it. 
After the presentations were given, the class went on a tour of downtown St. Marys led by David Larkin, LEC alumni. The first stop was Tablespoons Cafe' & Deli which was previously Smith's Sport Store. The group then walked around viewing historical locations learning about the work of the Heritage Preservation Group that has helped to enhance the appearance of downtown St Marys. 
The group then made a stop in Ridgway at the Elks Club on South Street where they enjoyed lunch sponsored by the Main Street Program. Michelle Bogacki, an alumni of the LEC program and current Main Street Manager, was introduced. Michelle took the group on a walking tour of Ridgway’s Historical District. Stops were made at the Udarbe Complex, the Towers Victorian Inn, the Cooke's-Murphy House, the Ridgway Public Library, YMCA, Elk County Historical Society, the Home of Tom Knotes, the Welcome Center, and various shops along Broad and Main Streets. Michelle pointed out to the group buildings that had recent renovations, old woodwork in the buildings from the Hyde & Murphy Company, and discussed upcoming projects.
The group ended their day at the Ridgway Elks where they began discussion regarding upcoming project that the LEC class will be partnering on with local non-profit organizations. These projects include a Community Supported Agriculture/Community Garden, Ridgway Beautification Project, Fundraising and Development, Mental Health/Aging Awareness Campaign, and a Senior Outreach Program. Each participant will be assigned to a group to work on a project after the next meeting in January 2016.
For more information regarding the LEC program, contact the Community Education Center at (814) 781-3437 or visit www.leadershipelkcounty.com.

Educators from Elk and McKean Counties recently participated in an “Educator in the Workplace” event at Domtar Paper Mill. Educators toured the facility and worked with Domtar staff and administration throughout the day. Educators were able to learn about the career opportunities at the mill and how what they teach in the classroom is applied on the job. After the experience, educators agreed that they were excited to share what they learned with their students and were impressed with the many opportunities and benefits the company brings to the area. This event was offered in partnership through the Community Education Center’s DISCOVER Partnership and the Potter County Education Council’s Business and Education Connect Program.  Both programs are aimed at creating an awareness about local opportunities and forming connections between educators and local companies. For more information or to participate in a similar event, contact the CEC at 781-3437 or cec@communityedcenter.com.