PHOTO PROVIDED Industry leaders work together in groups at a recent Manufacturing Talent Solutions Round Table, organized by Penn College’s Workforce Development team in partnership with Advance Central PA, to determine key challenges in recruiting a talented workforce.

WILLIAMSPORT –Thirty-nine individuals representing 24 businesses and industry partners across the region attended a recent event at Pennsylvania College of Technology. The Manufacturing Talent Solutions Round Table, organized by the college’s Workforce Development team in partnership with Advance Central PA, was designed to bring manufacturers together to discuss challenges in recruiting a talented workforce.

Advance Central PA is committed to the development and unification of a demand-driven workforce system that will attract and grow businesses and the central Pennsylvania economy. According to Sara H. Ousby, director of workforce training programs at Penn College, that purpose is in direct alignment with the goals of Workforce Development in supporting a strong workforce in central Pennsylvania and across the state.

The full day of speakers and activities was intended to help industry peers feel less alone in the challenges they’re facing, guide them to find solutions, and provide opportunities for manufacturers to hear from one another about creative resolutions they have implemented.

In turn, the event was helpful in gathering data for college programs.

“It was an opportunity for Workforce Development to hear directly from employers the skills that are missing in the workforce so we can adapt our program offerings to meet those needs,” Ousby said.

Speakers from West Pharmaceutical Services, Innovative Manufacturers’ Center and the Center for Rural Pennsylvania shared talent solutions case studies and spoke specifically about the trends influencing Pennsylvania’s manufacturing workforce and talent pipeline challenges.

“The event confirmed that manufacturers are struggling to find the skilled talent they need to support operations,” Ousby said. “Many of the skills that they are most in need of are not technical, but essential skills that span sectors like problem solving, work ethic, individual responsibility and dependability.”

The round table demonstrated that the college’s Workforce Development training programs not only need to address technical skills but also embed more general skill development into their offerings, Ousby added.

Workforce Development aims to “be the lifelong learning partner for building skills, attaining credentials, and improving processes for companies and individuals, resulting in measurable improvements.” The college’s Clean Energy Center, Plastics Innovation & Resource Center, and Penn College at Wellsboro all fall under the Workforce Development umbrella. For more information, visit www.pct.edu/wd, email workforce@pct.edu or call 570-327-4775.

For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, visit www.pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free 800-367-9222.