At a Glance
The local Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County (CBICC), State College Area High Schools Career and Technical Center, Central Pennsylvania Institute of Technology, and the countys five school districts collaborated to establish CentreREADY, a program designed to address a potential workforce skills gap.
Description
Through the CBICC, local employers expressed concern about the preparedness of Centre Countys future workforce to meet the 21st century needs of businesses and to possess the required skills to help the local economy succeed and grow. To address this concern, CBICC joined together with five local school districts and two local career and technology centers to develop the CentreREADY initiative.
Launched in the fall of 2018, CentreReady represents a formal agreement between the CBICC and its educational partners to prepare students for the demands of the 21st century workforce by teaching them the essential skills and competencies they will need to be successful employees. The program emphasizes six core areas of essential skills that employees should possess:
Work Ethic,
Tactfulness/Manners,
Teamwork,
Communication,
Critical Thinking/Problem-Solving, and
Understanding Supervision/World of Work.
Students who earn the CentreREADY certification will have demonstrated their competency in these six areas of 21st century workforce skills through various activities related to their specific program. The criteria for what constitute competency are outlined in a criteria tracking document, and the CTC director monitors student progress.
Ultimately the goal of CentreReady is to ensure the quality and strength of the future local workforce by creating a deep pipeline of prepared and skilled employees on whom employers can depend to be career ready.
For additional information about CentreREADY! including a more detailed explanation of the six essential 21st century skills attributes, visit https://centreready.org/ and https://www.cbicc.org/centreready.html.
Impact
As of this writing, the CentreREADY! initiative is in its first year of operation. Therefore, data is not yet available on the number of students who are participating in the program and the number of students who will earn the certification.
Contact
State College Area High Schools Career and Technical Center
https://www.scasd.org/Page/32595
Sharon Perry, Director
sap19@scasd.org