Private Industry Council and WCCC Partner
to Offer Adult Education on Campus

The Private Industry Council of Westmoreland Fayette, Inc (PIC) and Westmoreland County Community College are partnering to offer free classes at the college's Youngwood campus for adults aged 17 and older who need help with basic reading, writing, and math or wish to prepare for the GED exam.

The partnership was announced Wednesday, July 9 by Tim Yurcisin, PIC president and Dr. Steven C. Ender, WCCC president. The event included remarks by Rose Brandt, executive director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Adult Literacy and Education, Tom Balya, Westmoreland County commissioner and Sharon Pugliese, contracts manager, Westmoreland Fayette Workforce Investment Board counties. Representatives from local school districts, economic development organizations and chambers of commerce attended the event.

The collaboration between the Private Industry Council and WCCC resulted from the growing need of the college to prepare current and prospective students to succeed in the post-secondary setting It also demonstrates a recent national trend of increased collaboration between adult education providers and community colleges.

Ender said, "Since we do not offer Adult Basic Education at the college and we work with students who need this type of approach, it's a win-win for us to have our neighbor provide this service; and we would hope that while the students are here, they would choose to continue their education and look at the credit programs we offer."

The Private Industry Council has been operating employment, education, and training programs in Westmoreland and Fayette Counties since 1983. The Private Industry Council Adult Education program focuses on helping students set achievable goals, both long- and short-term, while stressing critical thinking and working to eliminate barriers to success. The new location, housed in the Business and Industry Center at the WCCC Youngwood campus, is designed to meet the needs of WCCC and the community at large by providing instruction in reading, writing, math, basic technology, money management, workplace essential skills, GED preparation, and literacy.

Yurcisin said the partnership "opens new learning opportunities for adult learners in the community to gain the basic skills they need for successful obtainment of a GED and/or transition into further education. This opportunity enables the Private Industry Council to not only serve its existing client base, but to also meet a growing demand on the college by preparing students to succeed in the college setting."

For more information on the Adult Education program offered at WCCC please contact Tami Ozegovich, Director of Education, Private Industry Council, 724-836-2600.

Career Gateway Postsecondary Education Transition Classes
Held at WCCCC

Through its collaboration with Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC), and funding from the PA Department of Education Bureau of Adult Basic & Literacy Education (ABLE) and the Westmoreland-Fayette Workforce Investment Board, the Private Industry Council is pleased to announce that it is now offering Career Gateway workshops each Tuesday and Thursday at the WCCC Youngwood Campus in the Business and Industry Center. These workshops assist adult learners who seek post-secondary education, but are not yet ready to begin an academic program by providing them with academic preparation, study and time management skills, and assistance navigating enrollment and financial aid systems and other aspects of college life.

Recent data on the educational requirements needed for many of the area's fastest growing jobs provide a convincing argument for enhancing Adult Basic Education services to include transitioning to postsecondary education. Participation in postsecondary programs has substantial benefits in terms of adults' greater earnings and lower rates of welfare dependence. The Private Industry Council has been incorporating transitioning activities into its existing program for several years and was one of the pilot agencies for the PA Department of Education Bureau of ABLE Career Gateway program. Through its collaboration with WCCC, the Private Industry Council will be better able to provide adults wishing to pursue higher education the services critical to their success in the post secondary setting.

Participants Photos: - Dr. Steve Ender, President (WCCC) - Dr. Daniel Obara, Vice President Academic Affairs and Student Services (WCCC) - Mr. Tim Yurcisin, President (PIC) - Mrs. Rose Brandt, Director, Bureau of ABLE - Mr. Tom Balya, County Commissioner - Mrs. Sharon Pugliese, Contrats Manager (WIB) - Ms. Tami Ozegovich, Director of Education (PIC) - Mrs. Sue Wagner, Project Manager for Adult Basics and Workforce Education (Fayette County Community Action Agency)