STATE COLLEGE – South Hills School of Business & Technology recently partnered with the Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators (PAPSA) to hold a special summit at the State College campus for career school administrators and other top ranking business leaders from across the state.
The purpose of the summit was to bring together key officials from the career and technical education (CTE) sector to discuss ways to best promote the increasing value and positive impact that career schools and colleges are having upon the development of the state and nation’s workforce.
It is the goal of the organization to better inform the general public and policy-makers of the fact that thousands of lives are being improved every day by career colleges and specialized technical schools in Pennsylvania.
U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson attended the summit and told the group, “Career and technology educators – this is your time.” As a member of the U.S. House Education & Workforce Committee, Thompson stated that a qualified and trained workforce is needed for the betterment of the nation’s economy and he strongly feels that robust funding should be allocated for career and technical training.
Thompson congratulated the numerous schools at the conference who have proven to be successful in meeting their educational goals and those of their students.
He also took time to honor Maralyn Mazza, co-founder of South Hills School, and the school’s president, Paul Mazza III, for the 45 years of dedicated service given to their successful graduates and current students.
Also in attendance was Gene Barr, president of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce. “We need to focus more on career oriented training,” Barr said, “to create the next generation of workers the businesses of Pennsylvania need.”
Barr also stressed the importance of getting information dispersed to high schools and parents concerning the types of jobs that are actually available in Pennsylvania, so students can properly pursue the necessary training and education required to successfully attain the well-paid careers currently open to them.
Through a variety of marketing and mixed media applications, PAPSA members are positioned to send the positive message to the public that specialized technology schools and colleges provide opportunities to effectively jump-start future careers.
Through college-to-career curriculums, they are geared to provide the critical learning and hands-on skills needed in today’s high priority occupations.