Pennsylvania Departments of Education, Labor and Industry Discuss Business/Education Partnerships on Joint Schools That Teach, Jobs That Pay Tour Stop

IMLER, Pa., July 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yesterday, representatives from the Pennsylvania Departments of Education (PDE) and Labor and Industry (L&I) visited Corle Building Systems and met with participants of The Challenge Program, Inc., on a joint Schools That Teach/Jobs That Pay tour stop.

The Challenge Program, Inc. develops relationships with businesses and educators, connecting students to their communities, and provides students with a hands-on learning experience that will foster career readiness and creates multiple pathways for success.

"The business/education partnership between The Challenge Program and Corle Building Systems showcases what the future of manufacturing looks like in Pennsylvania," said Workforce Development Bureau Director Brandy Burnham. "The company works with the program to educate students on the possibilities of a career in manufacturing with family-sustaining wages, and creates a pipeline of qualified, highly-skilled employees to meet the company's future manufacturing needs. This type of partnership provides good paying jobs for local residents, and is a win-win for the community."

PDE is currently looking to create a more holistic school evaluation tool that will focus on the individual students rather than standardized tests. The proposed Future Ready PA Index will serve as Pennsylvania's one-stop location for comprehensive information about school success, and will highlight how schools are performing and making progress on multiple indicators. One such factor will be to incentivize schools to offer career pathways that culminate with high value, industry recognized credentials.

"Partnerships developed between school districts and organizations like the Challenge Program  are a valuable asset for students to explore career options, and will ultimately create multiple pathways for success," said Dr. Volkman.

Improving access to quality and innovative programs through enhanced funding is a hallmark of the Schools That Teach initiative, through which administrative officials have visited dozens of schools since 2015. To date, the Schools That Teach tour has made stops at dozens of schools across Pennsylvania. A Google Map of all tour stops is available here.

For more information on Pennsylvania's education policies and programs, or to read PDE Secretary Rivera's budget testimony, visit the Department of Education's website at www.education.pa.gov or follow PDE on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

MEDIA CONTACT: Casey Smith, 717-783-9802                                     

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Education

Related Links

http://www.state.pa.us