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School-to-work center changes name to reflect expanded mission By Karen L. Trimbath
Roy McCullagh is director of the Workforce Development Resource Center at Penn State. The center supports educational and training programs for students preparing for careers and adults already in the workforce. Dave Shelly—Penn State Image Resource Center A LifeFlight pilot and registered nurse talk with students from Purchase Line School District prior to taking them on a "job shadow training flight." Groundhog Job Shadow Day, held in February, gives students opportunities to talk with professionals and find out how the skills they learn in the classroom are used in the workplace. Heidi Shirley, a student at Marion Center High School, checks slides at Blais Veterinary Hospital and Clinic in Indiana, Pa., during her job shadow experience, which is part of Pennsylvania’s school-to-work initiative.	Thousands of Pennsylvania’s children are already exploring careers, developing strong work ethics and pursuing more rigorous classes, thanks to an extensive network of schools, businesses, agencies and other organizations that have partnered to prepare students for high-skill, high-wage jobs. Now this same network will also be used to help the state’s established workers develop new skills and explore careers.   The Workforce Development Resource Center, located at the University Park campus, supports educational and training programs developed through this network. Previously known as the Pennsylvania School-to-Work Resource Center, the newly named center plays an integral role in sustaining the 57 statewide partnerships formed as part of the School-to-Work initiative. This initiative is a national movement to help local communities restructure the educational process to provide more relevant learning experiences that help children make better career choices.   The Workforce Development Resource Center will continue to sustain this infrastructure, Roy McCullagh, director of the center, said. He is committed to serving as a link between all stakeholders involved with workforce development, whether it is aimed at students (the emerging workforce) or those who already have jobs. The center will also serve as a vehicle to keep the University community up to date on related workforce development issues.   “The center has been very successful in promoting business and industry involvement in educational partnerships,” McCullagh said. “More than 3,000 employers are actively involved in local partnerships with schools across the state. By broadening its focus, the center will be able to support the Commonwealth’s growing workforce and economic development needs.”   Dr. Patricia A. Book, associate vice president for outreach and executive director, Division of Continuing Education at Penn State, agrees. She has supported McCullagh’s initiatives from the very beginning and said his strong background in partnering with business in educational reform has ensured the center’s success.   “The center is engaged in critically important outreach for Pennsylvania’s schools and businesses,” Book said. “Workforce development means more than retraining and upgrading skills; it also requires shaping a new generation of workers.”   The center’s expanded mission means it will provide support to local-, regional- and state-level stakeholders by linking education and the business and industry community to economic and workforce development initiatives.   The center will also support the University’s Standing Committee on Workforce Development, currently chaired by Dr. Donald A. Gogniat, campus executive officer of Penn State York. The committee was convened to advise the University on workforce development-related programs, processes and support systems.   Although the center was established in 1997, Pennsylvania’s community-based partnerships were actually established two years earlier, when Pennsylvania implemented the Federal School-to-Work Opportunities Act. The act was created in response to 1993 federal legislation that authorized the formation of school-to-work systems across the nation — sustained by federal grants given to states for distribution to local partnerships.   The U.S. departments of Education and Labor jointly administer the overall program, while the state’s program is administered by an interagency team that includes members from the departments of Education, Labor, and Community and Economic Development.   School-to-work is not a traditional educational model that relies only on school-based learning models, notes and lectures. Instead, students are guided through opportunities that help them apply theoretical knowledge to the real world. Through part-time internships and apprenticeships, they can better understand the relevance of a good education to the workplace and the world of work.   Penn State came into the picture because of its active role in workforce education and development throughout the state, McCullagh said.   “The University’s a natural fit,” he said. “Not only does it have a long history in workforce development, but it has a number of campuses, networks, delivery systems and statewide links through Penn State Cooperative Extension sites. You couldn’t find another institution that replicates this structure and capacity.”   The state’s school-to-work initiative provides opportunities for all youth through school-based learning, connecting activities and work-based learning. Stakeholders involved in the program benefit from professional development and related economic growth.   One of the most popular programs is Groundhog Job Shadow Day. Held each year in February, to coincide with Groundhog Day, this nationwide activity enables children to “shadow” career mentors and see how the skills they learn in the classroom can be used in the workplace. An estimated 1 million U.S. students and thousands of businesses participated in this year’s job shadowing.   Meanwhile, Pennsylvania continues to foster a growing number of partnerships with schools, business and industry. For example, a Procter & Gamble plant site in Mehoopany, Pa., has become involved in a comprehensive effort in the state’s Northern Tier counties. The company invited area educators to tour its facilities, which in turn led teachers to modify their curriculum to ensure their material is relevant to the workplace. Company staff members have also taught students how to apply technology in the workplace, how to run a youth apprenticeship program and how to promote job safety.   Students can participate in paid summer internships and apprenticeships, and all are assigned workplace mentors who guide them through a detailed training plan. These students also receive a letter grade that is included in their grade-point average. What’s more, 95 percent of these students end up being hired by the company after they graduate.   Procter & Gamble’s involvement has led to the formation of a regional partnership that has grown to include 13 school districts, five colleges, more than 200 employers, and community-based organizations.   This partnership is just one success story out of many, McCullagh said. He gets the word out about such partnerships and workforce development resources and activities through Pennsylvania Initiatives, a quarterly newsletter distributed to 15,000 subscribers across the state, and a Web site with numerous links to local partnerships, state government contacts, and an on-line forum in which participants discuss implementation issues, as well as through other means.   “Communication is a big part of the center’s outreach,” McCullagh added. “After all, we’re a communication and technical assistance link. We feel information should get to anyone interested in workforce development, implementation of the workforce development act, and activities related to youth development.”   McCullagh must also reassess available services because of ongoing legislative changes. The biggest change, he said, is that legislative funds that sustain this system will sunset at the end of 2001.   “The clock is ticking, but a lot is happening,” he said. “The center’s focus is to sustain the capacity we have built and keep the momentum behind reforms in the educational system, not funding. It’s significant that the school-to-work legislation opened the door for such a large stakeholder participation in school reform efforts. When the funding disappears, the commitment remains to keep the successful strategies going.”