Pennsylvania Plastics Initiative Makes Strides Building New Generation of Plastics Workers
University Park, Pa. -- Most people don't think about plastics. But these days most everything is made from plastic -- from medical equipment to entertainment gadgets to sports products. In an effort to educate young people about the career possibilities in plastics, the Pennsylvania Plastics Initiative -- a project of Penn State, the Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board and the Commonwealth's Department of Labor and Industry -- has launched a new multimedia campaign that includes a Web site, short video spots and a tool kit for school career counselors.
"A critical element of the Pennsylvania Plastics Initiative is to ensure an adequate supply of future trained workers," said Frank Sorg, project director for the Pennsylvania Plastics Initiative. The initiative is a $5 million project funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and Pennsylvania government that aims to improve the competitiveness of plastic manufacturers throughout the Commonwealth by creating and operating a statewide network of plastics companies, workforce and economic development organizations, and education institutions to increase business retention and growth. "Pennsylvania has a need for new workers who have been trained at a high technical level," added Sorg.
The multimedia campaign, produced by Penn State Public Broadcasting (PSPB), includes a Web site, http://www.imagineplastics.com, which features two- to four-minute video profiles of young professionals in the field, as well as students in plastics programs. These video profiles range from a young entrepreneur who designed a line of toys to a graduate who works as an innovator for Nike to a student intern working at Bausch & Lomb.
The Web site also includes short ad spots of students and professionals (these appear on TV, in theatres and on YouTube), as well as information about college plastics programs in Pennsylvania: those at Penn State Erie and the Pennsylvania College of Technology. Driving people to the Web site are the ads, as well as the tool kits for school guidance counselors. The materials in the tool kit include posters, information sheets on plastics careers and a DVD that features perspectives from industry executives and educators.
"The campaign is an opportunity for potential students to 'meet' students in plastics education programs, as well as professionals in the field," said Tom Keiter, executive producer for the project and assistant director of PSPB. "Potential students can explore among their peers education and internship possibilities."
Other accomplishments of the Pennsylvania Plastics Initiative, launched in 2006, include, among other things:
-- Internships: Twelve internships were provided to high school students last spring; 25 internships are under way this fall, and an additional 25 are being planned for next spring.
-- Scholarships: Eleven scholarships, for two associate degrees at Penn College, were awarded for the fall 2006 semester and nine for spring 2007. Thirty-two were awarded for fall 2007 with up to 33 planned for the spring 2008 semester. Scholarships are $2,500 per student/semester.
-- Worker training: High-skills plastic manufacturing incumbent worker training by local Workforce Investment Boards is in progress and has reached nearly 1,500 individuals to date. Thirty-six Pennsylvania employees have so far been certified with the Global Standard Plastics Certification. Five curriculum transfer projects have begun; two are being led by Penn State Erie (online plastics introduction and college-level plastics technology), two by Penn College (community college accreditation and online entry worker training) and one by Penn State Lehigh Valley (online polymer science).
The Pennsylvania Plastics Initiative is a partnership between Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry's Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board (PA WIB). With support from the U.S. Department of Labor, the partnership integrates Pennsylvania's workforce, economic development and education resources for a comprehensive approach to maintaining and growing the competitive advantage of the Commonwealth's plastics industry. The Pennsylvania Plastics Initiative is administered through Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education. Penn State Outreach serves more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 80 countries worldwide.
This press release courtesy of Penn State's Department of Public Information
Last modified: 11/28/07 | Contact Webmaster
