The Indiana County Board of Commissioners today appointed Jennifer Eckels, director, Indiana-Westmoreland County Community College Center, to fill the “education seat” on the Tri-County Workforce Investment Board.
This action reflects a renewed partnership between Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Westmoreland County Community College, and the Indiana County Technology Center. In the past, a representative from IUP has held the education seat; moving forward, the seat will “rotate” among WCCC, IUP, and ICTC.
From left: Commissioner Rodney Ruddock; Commissioner Mike Baker; Rep. Jim Struzzi; Jennifer Eckels, director, WCCC; Tuesday Stanley, president, WCCC; Commissioner Sherene Hess; IUP President Michael Driscoll; Principal, ICTC, Michael Worthington; Walter Schroth, president, Indiana Area School Board. All spoke to the importance of the partnership during the meeting.
“IUP, Westmoreland, and ICTC are committed to working together to create a more seamless system for people who want and need education and training,” IUP President Michael Driscoll said. “We want to make it easy for people to get what they need at the right institution, and that means that we are continuing to work on what makes the most sense for each institution to offer.”
Driscoll said that the group is continuing to work together to develop initiatives to better serve the community's workforce training and educational needs.
“Westmoreland is excited to work with the ICTC and IUP,” said WCCC President Tuesday Stanley. “We each play a unique role in Indiana County, and collectively, we will be able to fill the education and training needs of the county residents. We will work together to build programs that lead to careers in family sustaining jobs.”
The mission of the Tri-County Workforce Investment Board, Inc. is to provide responsive and innovative leadership that meets the current and future needs of employers and job seekers.
“The Indiana County Technology Center is pleased to be educational partners with Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Westmoreland County Community College,” Mike McDermott, executive director of ICTC, said. “This partnership will allow us to serve the high school and adult learners of Indiana County in a cooperative effort to better prepare them for workforce demands.”
The vision of the Tri-County Workforce Investment Board, Inc. is that the local area will be a destination of choice for employers and job seekers, where existing businesses experience growth and where new businesses are eager to locate because of the excellent job opportunities, economic vitality, quality of life, and the presence of a skilled workforce. Administrative offices are located in Butler.