Partnership for Career Development, 55 Miller Street, Enola, PA (2026)

05/01/2026

PCD's CAP Student Showcase was a truly inspiring way to round out the PCD program year! Every year I wonder how can it possibly get any better. Well, this year showed me how.

The gorgeous Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Stewart Hall was packed to capacity and the Ship team was a well-oiled machine. We had a wonderful surprise visit from Shippensburg President Dr. Charles E. Patterson!

Students at displays & speakers, who were identified by participating schools, and the Allen D. Quirk Scholarship winners, who were chosen by an independent panel of judges (PCD awarded $10,000 in scholarships this year!) - were glowing! They were all truly magnificent.

The PCD Board of Directors was there in force! I am so lucky to have such a great support team!

We were honored to welcome Cumberland County, PA Commissioner Jean Foschi who is always a delight and a wonderful supporter of PCD and pipeline workforce development.

I really can’t thank the many people involved nearly enough - these photo collages hardly do the event justice - but enjoy!

Finally, I’d like to say thank you to the event sponsors who made the event possible through their generous sponsorship: The Manufacturers' Association, Pennoni, UPMC, Members 1st Federal Credit Union, Emerge Education, LLC, Pyramid Construction Services, LLC, The Pennsylvania College of Technology, and three anonymous donors.

PCD’s year-end impact data was provided as a sneak peek to attendees - watch for future posts. And we received some amazing news that it's looking like an additional school district will be joining us in the fall, meaning that PCD will be serving an additional county for a total of FIVE.

PCD is growing & thankful for those who've been with us for so many years, and those who are now coming to the table, supporting Career Awareness & Preparation and our future workforce in PA.
The Manufacturers' Association PA Department of Labor & Industry Pennsylvania Department of Environmental ProtectionPennsylvania Department of Education IEC Pennsylvania

04/23/2026

What an energizing day at the Cradle to Career Alliance Roadmap & Reflections meeting!

The Cradle to Career Alliance is a collective impact model that brings together voices from across sectors; education, business & industry, workforce, postsecondary, community organizations, and more to strengthen Career Awareness & Preparation (CAP) opportunities for students across South Central Pennsylvania.

Today, we took time to reflect on how far we’ve come since our relaunch in 2022, celebrating meaningful progress, shared goals achieved, and the power of collaboration through a fully volunteer Alliance. Even more exciting, we looked ahead at what’s next and how we can continue to expand this critical work for our region’s students, schools, and future workforce.

Our group today (a bunch are in this photo) included representation from k12 education (general ed & special needs), business/industry, community, postsecondary education & training, and government, truly representing the core of the model.

A heartfelt thank you to Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC for their continued support, and to our additional founding partners: the Capital Area Intermediate Unit and the York County Alliance for Learning for helping launch and grow this important movement.

The momentum is real. The mission matters. And the best is still ahead.

Watch for next month’s meeting. We’d love for you to be part of the conversation.

04/22/2026

What an amazing day! I love Leadership Academy - it’s one full day each year I get to spend with some of the very best school personnel in our region, traveling to sites across the midstate and introducing new career pathways. This year, 11 of PCD’s participating schools were represented by key staff who work directly in career development.

A huge thank you to our hosts for this year’s theme: Defense Industry, in support of the TIDE initiative.

We started at Daisy Data Displays, where participants were amazed by the clean, quiet workspaces where displays are built and repaired for everything from fast food to military vehicles. Their products are built to handle pressure—and so was their hospitality. Thanks for the treats!

Next stop: RETTEW, where we learned what OSHA compliance really means. With 10 locations across PA and the Northeast, they help build safety systems that keep workers safe every day. Thank you for the warm welcome!

We wrapped up in York at Precision Custom Components, LLC, where I had to contain my inner geek touring the facility that manufactures critical components for the US Navy’s nuclear submarines. The scale of their work is almost impossible to imagine. One example compared the Washington Monument to the Columbia sub - and it looked like a toothpick.

Along the way, our friends at The Manufacturers' Association reminded us loud and clear: South Central PA is home to more than 500 defense suppliers, and Pennsylvania supports 25% of the entire U.S. Defense Industrial Base.

And that Columbia Class submarine I mentioned? Pennsylvania is the #1 critical supplier in the nation.

What a day of learning, pride, and perspective.

RETTEW Precision Custom Components

04/20/2026

🚨 Final Reminder: This Week is Your Opportunity to Help Shape What Comes Next.

If you’ve ever said students need more direction… employers need stronger talent pipelines… schools can’t do this alone… or our region must work together better—this is your opportunity to move from conversation to action.
This week, the Cradle to Career Alliance Roadmap & Reflections Meeting brings together leaders who believe that collective impact creates real results.

This is where ideas become partnerships.
This is where challenges become solutions.
This is where futures begin.

We need voices from education, business, workforce, community, and beyond—because no single organization can solve workforce readiness alone.

Together, we are better. Together, we are stronger. Together, we can make real change.

📍 Capital Area Intermediate Unit – Enola, PA
📅 Wednesday, April 22, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM
👉 Register now through the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC website:
https://business.harrisburgregionalchamber.org/chambereventscalendar/Details/cradle-to-career-alliance-roadmap-and-reflections-1695098?sourceTypeId=Website

If you care about the future workforce, student opportunity, and regional success, be in the room.

04/19/2026

What a day for workforce development in Pennsylvania!

On April 16, the Manufacturers’ Association hosted a remarkable Pre-Apprenticeship Graduation Celebration at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster recognizing students who chose to build real skills, earn real credentials, and take real steps toward their futures.

We were especially proud to celebrate the first-ever graduating cohort of TAPA (Transition Accommodated Pre-Apprenticeship) through Partnership for Career Development (PCD). We celebrated exceeding our target by 12.5%.

These students earned credentials through Manufacturing Applied Technologies, a Pennsylvania-certified pre-apprenticeship featuring skills that are both transferable and portable - the kind of value that follows students into careers, additional training, and lifelong opportunity.

Final graduating numbers across regions:

🔹 YCAL (York County) – 17 Graduates
🔹 Lancaster County – 8 Graduates
🔹 Chester County – 17 Graduates
🔹 Capital Region / PCD – 19 Graduates

61 total graduates in this cohort are stepping into the next chapter stronger, more prepared, and with momentum.

For PCD, this milestone is especially meaningful. TAPA was built to ensure more students can access high-quality career preparation and succeed in hands-on pathways that lead somewhere.

Thank you to the Manufacturers’ Association, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, the PA Department of Labor & Industry Apprenticeship & Training Office, our school partners, families, and every student who showed up and did the work.

The future workforce is not someday. It is already here.

04/16/2026

The Workforce Problem Isn’t Jobs - It’s Awareness.

On April 14, we brought students to HACC’s Harrisburg Campus for Green Careers Discovery Day and the results speak for themselves.

👉 100% reported increased confidence about their future
👉 100% said the experience strengthened their understanding of what comes next after high school
👉 92% discovered a new career
👉 83% are now more likely to continue exploring careers in this field

Let that sink in.

At a time when workforce shortages continue across Pennsylvania, especially in energy, engineering, and sustainability, too many students are still graduating without a clear understanding of the opportunities in front of them.

That’s the gap we’re working to close.

Through hands-on, real-world experiences, students connected directly with industry professionals from organizations like Woolpert, PPL, HACC, and The McClure Company - not just hearing about careers, but engaging with them.

👏 Special thanks to our host, Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), for welcoming us back to campus and helping make this experience possible.

👏 Shoutout to the schools who showed up for their students:
Shippensburg Area School District
East Pennsboro Area School District
Mechanicsburg Area School District
Big Spring School District
Central Dauphin School District (East)
Harrisburg School District
Palmyra Area School District
You are changing trajectories.

And to the PPL Foundation - thank you for investing in this work and making these opportunities possible.

Because this isn’t optional anymore.

Students can’t dream about careers they don’t know about.
We’re not just talking about workforce development.
We’re building it - before graduation.

04/10/2026

Excited to share that I recently joined PHEAA’s Higher Education Access Corner podcast as a guest with Tiffanie DeVan!

Episode Title: Get to Know: Partnership for Career Development
In this conversation, we dive into the work of the Partnership for Career Development (PCD) and how we’re connecting schools and employers to build a stronger workforce - and a brighter future - for students across South Central Pennsylvania.

At PCD, we believe:
Students can’t dream about careers they don’t know about.

This episode highlights how intentional career awareness and preparation - before graduation - changes everything:
✔️ Expands student awareness of real opportunities
✔️ Strengthens connections between education and industry
✔️ Builds confidence in postsecondary decision-making
✔️ Supports a more prepared and sustainable workforce pipeline

🎧 You can listen here:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1S6wwHGZaJ2kKOQloyEECx?si=5MgmwMpKR9mESjWjdcDKpQ&nd=1&dlsi=0dd6526159224fcb

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr8-gjwykAg
(Also available on Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and more!)

Grateful for the opportunity to share our story and amplify the importance of Career Awareness & Preparation (CAP). Let’s keep showing up for students because the future workforce is sitting in our classrooms today.

04/07/2026

🚨 Seats are filling — don’t miss out!

The Cradle to Career Alliance: Roadmap & Reflections Meeting is right around the corner and this is your chance to be part of what’s next for Career Awareness & Preparation in our region.

📍 April 22, 2026 | 9:00 – 11:30 AM
📍 Capital Area Intermediate Unit | Enola, PA

This is more than a meeting, it’s where leaders across education, business, and community come together to:

✔ Reflect on impact
✔ Shape future strategy
✔ Strengthen workforce connections

💡 No cost to attend. High value in the room.

If you’ve been asking: “Where am I meeting my future workforce?” this is your answer.

👉 Spots are filling, secure yours now.

04/02/2026

We are incredibly fortunate to partner with the Manufacturers’ Association on work that truly matters. not just for today, but for the future of South Central PA’s workforce.

This pre-apprenticeship initiative is exactly the kind of forward-thinking, employer-driven solution our region needs. It’s not just about training, it’s about building real, sustainable pathways for students to step confidently into high-demand careers. When students can connect classroom learning to hands-on industry experience, everything changes. They begin to see where they fit, what’s possible, and how to get there.

Programs like this strengthen our entire ecosystem - schools, employers, and communities- by aligning education with real workforce needs and creating opportunities that lead directly to careers right here in Pennsylvania.

We’re also always grateful when our partners support this work. That kind of acknowledgment reinforces what we know to be true: when organizations come together with a shared purpose, we can create something powerful.

To The Manufacturers' Association’ - thank you for your leadership, your partnership, and your commitment to building the next generation of talent. This is how we grow a workforce. This is how we build a region.

The Manufacturers' Association

04/01/2026

Our Career Connections: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) experience was so popular, we didn’t just run one session…
👉 We ran TWO sessions
👉 Still had a waiting list

That’s what happens when students get access to real careers, real stories, and real pathways.

A huge THANK YOU to Cumberland Goodwill EMS for stepping up to host both sessions and helping us meet the moment. Your partnership made this possible.
And the impact? It’s exactly why this work matters:

🔥 100% of students said they are likely to explore this field further
🔥 71% gained awareness of real work-based learning opportunities
🔥 43% discovered a career they didn’t even know existed

That’s not just engagement, that’s direction.

Students joined us from across all four counties we currently serve including:
SHIPPENSBURG AREA SD, Central Dauphin School District, South Middleton School District (Boiling Springs), Carlisle Area School District, West Perry School District, Mechanicsburg Area School District, East Pennsboro Area Senior High School / SD, and Chambersburg Area School District.

This is Career Awareness & Preparation (CAP) in action, and we’re growing.

Because students can’t dream about careers they don’t know about…
…and when they do? Everything changes. 🚀

Partnership for Career Development

05/01/2026

04/23/2026

04/22/2026

04/20/2026

04/19/2026

04/16/2026

04/10/2026

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