One of those courses is St. Francis University's flight partnership with Nulton Aviation Services, fixed-base operator at John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, that allows St. Francis students to add a pilot training certification to their primary studies.
"It was a really exciting opportunity when Nulton Aviation partnered with us," said the university's Brother Marius Strom. "We are extremely fortunate to have such a partner as Nulton Aviation. They've been extremely active building up the local airport and community."
Strom is the coordinator for the program at St. Francis and the liaison with the flight school. He also has a background in aviation, having earned a degree in aeronautical engineering and holding a private pilot license.
He said the aviator certification can be a benefit in numerous jobs in which the ability to fly a plane may be underrated, such as a law enforcement position involving surveillance or search duty.
"We are in a position to enable students to do that — get a degree in criminal justice and a commercial pilot's license at the same time," Strom said.
Zach Boote is one of the students who has added aviation to his studies.
"I've always been interested in flying and getting my pilot's license," the senior said. "I originally went to a college in Richmond ... to play golf and get my degree in finance. I found the SFU aviation program and knew that's what I wanted to do."
He transferred to the university in January 2021 and is studying communications.
"I just completed my flight training and am currently working on my instructor ratings," Boote said. "I like the program here. Everyone is very knowledgeable, and the program has really grown since I came into it. They have great instructors and a positive learning environment."
'HELP OUR LOCAL AREA'
The partnership is addressing a pilot shortage that has been a national story, program leaders said. According to a 2022 Federal Aviation Administration report, there are 4,000 fewer active commercial pilots now than in 2013.
Strom said St. Francis will also assist with training workers for airport maintenance departments. The FAA report shows there are 18,000 fewer aviation mechanics and around 2,000 fewer repairmen than a decade ago.
The university is developing a program for aviation maintenance technicians and expects to begin classes in the fall, pending FAA approval.
"We thought this would be a good win ... for us to help our local area," Strom said.
SkyWest Airlines, which services John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, donated a CRJ200 airframe with the engines removed. This model is almost identical to the jets that fly to and from Johnstown every day, Strom said, and will be a great asset to the students in the 16- to-18-month program.
'UPSKILLING' WORKERS
Pennsylvania Highlands Community College has offerings for degrees and certificates to meet the needs of employers and employees in the area, said Trish Corle, vice president of student services. Within the past year, the school has acquired the Johnstown Regional Police Academy and added business certifications with area companies such as Thomas Automotive.
"Working directly with business and industry to identify employment opportunities and coupling those opportunities with training programs in the region is a key component of the decisions we make regarding program offerings," Corle said.
She noted the school's partnerships with companies such as FirstEnergy, JWF Industries and Conemaugh Health System are "perfect examples of this philosophy."
Corle said: "Partnerships that assist local businesses with 'upskilling' their current employees provide valuable opportunities for both employer and employee. These businesses have established a culture of commitment to their employees by providing these post-secondary educational opportunities and working with a local education partner that shares that vision."
Corle added that Penn Highlands is working with local employees on a "'Grow Our Own' philosophy that involves educating students about career opportunities in the region and assisting all parties in connecting education with employment."
"We also understand the ongoing needs of local employers in more general sectors including education, social services, business, technology, and health care," she said. "While these programs are not always directly related to specific jobs with specific employers, their applicability throughout a sector makes them beneficial to a wide range of local employers and to our students who are seeking employment."
FILLING 'A VOID'
Another example of regional businesses and local schools partnering is the recent endowment that Johnstown-based engineering firm H.F. Lenz Co. provided to the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.
In January, company President Thomas F. Deter — a 1987 UPJ electrical engineering graduate — and H.F. Lenz Principal Joel Shumaker — a 1993 UPJ electrical engineering graduate — presented a $50,000 check to the school that will provide scholarships to undergraduate students starting their junior years who are studying mechanical, electrical or civil engineering.
At Indiana University of Pennsylvania, programs are aimed at certifying students to fly unmanned drones, plus a preschool education initiative and another course to train emergency medical technicians and paramedics through the Institute for Rural Health and Safety.
Louis Pesci, IUP's EMT instructor, said the program is aimed at putting boots on the ground to help emergency management services.
"They're desperate to hire people," he said. "There is a void there."
Students enrolled in the program can use the training to work during school — and as a stepping stone into the medical field and other careers.
Pesci said there are many branches of EMT and paramedic training that can be pursued. Additionally, students can take their training back to their local ambulance services. Credits for the classes can also eventually be used to become a physician's assistant or medical doctor.
The instructor said IUP has affiliation agreements with many agencies and the school often has learners who come from outside the area to get an education and return to their hometowns to work.
Mount Aloysius College in Cresson offers a certification in marijuana sciences to prepare the next batch of workers for the field in Pennsylvania.
The college is also training undergraduates in cybersecurity within the school's National Security Agency-certified Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense.
"Cyber crimes are always on the rise and having students learn and understand how to combat these threats is key to any organization that has operations over the Internet," Justin Williams said. "With that in mind any organization can benefit from bringing one or multiple of our students onboard in a technical role."
Williams is the instructor of the cybersecurity program at the Mount.
"The purpose of this program is to arm students with the necessary knowledge to be successful in helping organizations to protect and secure their technical infrastructure," Williams said.
"To achieve this, we first start off by giving students a rich technical foundation within computer hardware, operating systems, networking, programming and cybersecurity.
"After that foundation is developed, then students can look into more refined areas of cybersecurity such as digital forensics, which gives students the knowledge to investigate a cyber crime. Outside of building our students up to be successful, we also do our best to expose students to as many areas within cybersecurity and IT as we possibly can to ensure they gravitate toward something they enjoy."
The MAC program has worked with Richland Township-based Concurrent Technologies Corp. for student internships. It also offers the Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship program, which provides internship experience and guarantees a job in DOD work after graduation.
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