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Offset Paperback Mfrs. Inc. and Penn State Wilkes-Barre form partnership
The individuals who were instrumental in forming a new workforce training and education partnership between Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Offset Paperback Mfrs. Inc. gather to celebrate their partnership. From left are Ken Getz, personnel manager, Offset Paperback; Adam C. Crahall, director of human resources, Offset Paperback; Dr. Mary Hines, campus executive officer, Penn State Wilkes-Barre; Joseph Makarewicz, executive vice president, Offset Paperback; Ina K. Lubin, director of continuing education, Penn State Wilkes-Barre; Janet Rosenbaum, continuing education representative, Penn State Wilkes-Barre; and Michael J. Gallagher, chief executive officer and president, Offset Paperback.	Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Offset Paperback Mfrs. Inc., a Bertelsmann Co., have announced a major new workforce training and education partnership, according to Dr. Mary Hines, Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus executive officer, and Joseph Makarewicz, executive vice president of Offset Paperback Mfrs. Inc.   “Penn State Wilkes-Barre is honored to partner with Offset Paperback Mfrs. Inc. in this innovative educational initiative,” Hines said. “Our involvement builds on a previous positive working relationship between our Continuing Education staff and this world-class manufacturer of paperback books and printed materials. This partnership brings together two organizations that are committed to quality in workforce development and employee productivity. I am fully confident that the combination of Offset’s innovation and Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s implementation will produce an exemplary model of business-education collaboration.”   Penn State has provided a wide variety of training services to this private firm comprised of 700 employees located in Dallas, Pa., for more than 15 years. Dr. Michael Sawczuk, Penn State assistant professor of business administration, began delivering management development programs on-site in 1983. The firm also has used the team-building programs offered through the Penn State Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center and the Team Decision Center located in The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel at University Park. In this new partnership, Penn State Wilkes-Barre will coordinate comprehensive training and professional development services and resources for all Offset Paperback employees.   “We have long recognized and benefited from the continuing education offerings that have strengthened our supervisory and management development training programs over the past several years,” Makarewicz said. “Offset is embarking on further expansion of our already successful relationship by outsourcing our entire training function to Penn State Wilkes-Barre. We expect this new partnership will help Offset Paperback and its employees meet future competitive challenges and attain our goal of becoming the printer of choice for the new century.”   Penn State Wilkes-Barre has a substantial commitment to public service and to the development of human resources in the local community. Through its continuing education outreach services, the Wilkes-Barre campus has been providing training to business, industry and community organizations since the early 1900s.   “Although we have been providing outreach services to our community since the early part of the century, this is a very unique arrangement for us,” said Ina K. Lubin, director of continuing education at the Wilkes-Barre campus. “We have appointed a Penn State Wilkes-Barre employee to manage Offset Paperback’s Education and Training Center and provide full-time leadership to address their workforce education needs. This partnership links the expertise and resources of Penn State to the professional development needs of the employees.”   The education and training center was opened at the manufacturing site in 1996 to facilitate a variety of on-the-job training programs, including plant safety, quality, print technology, customer service, vendor-client relationships and computer training.   According to Lubin, Penn State Wilkes-Barre is collaborating with the local Luzerne County Community College, the Northeast Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC) and regional training providers, as well.   “We believe that by drawing on the resources of Penn State, as well as the Community College, NEPIRC and other training providers in the region, we can deliver the best possible cost-effective services to Offset Paperback employees.”   Janet Rosenbaum, project manager, noted that an education, training and development manager is responsible for fostering a learning environment, identifying training needs, establishing goals and objectives, coordinating internal and external resources with Penn State and other training providers, and providing ongoing assessment and evaluation of programs.