NCC Grads Fill High Priority Workforce Needs

Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges highlights Richard Araque Ocampo ’24

With Pennsylvania’s projected skilled worker shortage expected to reach 820,000 in the next few years, community colleges continue to play a vital role in filling the state’s skilled workforce gaps. High priority occupations include those in the health sciences, education, trades, manufacturing, and information technology/computer science.

Northampton Community College (NCC) celebrated 758 graduates this spring, many of whom earned associate degrees, certificates, and specialized diplomas in fields that are in desperate need of qualified workers. The Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges (PACCC) emphasized that the state’s community colleges are a foundational link in providing tailored training and skilled workers to meet regional employer needs.

“We are extremely proud of our graduates and the work that they are undertaking in communities across the state,” said Tuesday Stanley, Chair of the PACCC board of directors and president of Westmoreland County Community College, in a press release. “And kudos to our community colleges for their unwavering commitment to provide affordable access to life-changing education and training that supports the success of their students while providing clear career pathways for graduates to address meaningful workforce needs.”

One of those high priority occupations is education. Pennsylvania is experiencing a major shortage of educators, with teacher certifications down by nearly 70 percent compared to a decade ago. PACCC points out that pre-K and early childhood programs have been impacted particularly hard, citing a PA Start Strong survey conducted in 2022 that found nearly 32,500 children are on waiting lists with staffing shortages cited as the top barrier to serving more children.

Community colleges like NCC are providing a silver lining to the educator crisis. This May, the state’s 15 community colleges sent 224 students into the workforce who earned degrees or certificates in childcare, early childhood education, and early childhood intervention. Among those graduates was Richard Araque Ocampo ’24, an international student who earned a child development associate specialized diploma. He started at NCC in the English as a Second Language program and plans to help young learners pursue their own dreams through education.

“I’m (now) going to face my future with the skills that are required in the world that we live in nowadays,” says Araque Ocampo. “It’s one of the biggest accomplishments I’ve had thus far.”

NCC’s education programs provide paths to prepare students to be workforce ready to teach after graduation or to prepare them to transfer to complete a bachelor’s degree and obtain teacher certification. Students gain practical, real-world experience through fieldwork sites and classroom observations, working with learners ranging from infants and toddlers to school age and even young adults.

Education options at NCC include associate degree, certificate, and specialized diploma options in early childhood education; associate degree options in middle level and secondary level education; and associate degree and specialized diploma options in special education. NCC also holds agreements with four-year schools, including many in the Pennsylvania State System of

Higher Education, to provide a seamless transfer process for those students seeking to complete a bachelor’s degree.

According to PACCC, community colleges are the state’s largest provider of public postsecondary education and workforce training and offer the lowest public postsecondary tuition in the state. An estimated 55 percent of undergraduate students enrolled in Pennsylvania colleges are enrolled at a community college.