WAYNE & PIKE COUNTIES, PA —The Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, Dr. Khalid N. Mumin, visited the Wallenpaupack Area School District to support Wayne and Pike County joining the rest of …
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WAYNE & PIKE COUNTIES, PA —The Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, Dr. Khalid N. Mumin, visited the Wallenpaupack Area School District to support Wayne and Pike County joining the rest of the commonwealth with the creation of a Career and Technology Center (CTC) that aims to meet the workforce needs of the community.
CTCs offer hands-on experience in crucial skills alongside standard classes, helping prepare students for the workforce. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (DoE), Wayne and Pike are the only two counties in the commonwealth not served by a regional CTC.
The Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, Dr. Khalid N. Mumin, visit to the Wallenpaupack Area School District on December 3, highlighted a proposal in the works for a Wayne/Pike Career and Technology Center (CTC), a proposal that would bring the local area in line with the educational opportunities offered everywhere else in the commonwealth.
Four local school districts—Wallenpaupack, Wayne Highlands, Western Wayne and Delaware Valley—are planning to create a Wayne/Pike CTC. Khalid and other DoE officials visited the proposed site of the CTC, located on the Wallepaupack Area School District’s campus behind the North Primary School.
“Career and technical education is essential for providing students with the skills and opportunities to succeed in today’s dynamic economy. As Pennsylvania continues to grow, it’s vital that every student, regardless of where they live, has access to high-quality career training that leads to good-paying, in-demand jobs,” said deputy secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe in a DoE press release.
“The creation of the Wayne/Pike Career and Technical Center is an exciting step toward closing the gap in educational access and ensuring that all students in these counties can explore, develop and excel in careers that will drive their futures forward,” Rowe said.
Wallenpaupack Area School District Superintendent Keith Gunuskey told the River Reporter, “It is inspiring to know our message and story is making its way to Harrisburg. I strongly believe that our students and community deserve the same opportunities as all other students in the commonwealth.
Gunuskey said the DoE’s visit included a discussion of the current status of CTE programs at Wallenpaupack as well as the proposed plans to build the Wayne/Pike CTC, and a walkthrough in which student ambassadors introduced guests to the school’s nine CTE programs and its one pathway program, aviation.
A feasibility study is in the works to determine the size and the scope of the Wayne/Pike CTC, according to the DoE.
This past September, the Wayne County Commissioners re-emphasized their previously established support for the CTC proposal by approving a letter of support.
The letter emphasized the importance of creating an environment in which students are able to learn career skills that can eventually be used to “meet the ongoing workforce needs of our communities, creating a ripple effect throughout all of Wayne and Pike counties.”
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