Central Penn College’s Advancement Office Debuts New Customized Education Programs

The newly created Advancement Office at Central Penn College (CPC) recently launched three customizable education programs that enable organizations to meet the growing demand for industry-specific skills, workforce development and professional training:

1. Corporate Education Program – longer-term, customizable educational courses and programs

2. Partner Program – a tiered approach to providing additional scholarships to employees for job-related learning

3. Workforce Development Continuing Education Program – short-term training workshops and courses to upskill and reskill employees

“We’re taking a multi-pronged approach to one of the biggest challenges faced by today’s employers––how to be more competitive by making targeted investments in your employees,” said Michael Fedor, vice president for advancement and strategic initiatives at the Summerdale-based institution.

“We see a growing number of organizations struggling to develop key skills in their employees… skills such as critical thinking, motivating and managing teams, and effective communication among their workforce,” said the Cumberland County resident. “These programs are designed to be solutions to these persistent problems.”

Vital Resource

“For more than 135 years, Central Penn College has been a vital educational resource for this region, and we are continuing to build on that legacy with these initiatives,” said Fedor, who has a background in consulting, government relations and education.

Two key employees who will assist in rolling out these new programs are Hector Ortiz, senior director of community engagement and partnerships, and Curtis Voelker, director of advancement and program relations.

1. Corporate Education Program

Under this option, the college will create targeted, educational courses and programs that meet the needs of both organizations and employees for growth and development. “An educated workforce is key to organizational success,” said Ortiz. “Companies can only capitalize on new opportunities if their leaders and employees are prepared to do so.”

“With a CPC-designed Corporate Education Program, we can bring postsecondary education directly into your workplace,” said Fedor. “We can create a company training program for college credit, build a custom cohort into one of our existing degree programs, or develop an entirely new certificate available only to the employees of your company.”

The customizable content will be drawn from the institution’s career-focused curriculum, as well as the faculty’s wide-ranging expertise in business, law and criminal justice, communications, marketing, health sciences and leadership.

2. Partner Program

“This is a great way for organizations to maximize their tuition reimbursement programs with additional scholarships,” said Voelker. “Or if companies don’t have one, this program gives them an opportunity to award deserving employees with scholarships to pursue career-related education.”

During the 2019–2020 academic year, Central Penn College awarded scholarships to 108 employees from more than 60 partner organizations, including The Giant Company, PSECU and WellSpan Health.

While the college has had a Partner Program for a number of years, it was recently revamped under the Advancement Office to include three subscription levels for organizations that provide tuition reimbursement:

• Partner – Unlimited $1,000 scholarships for employees. Cost: Free.
• Partner+ – Unlimited $1,500 scholarships for employees. Annual fee: $750.
• Partner Premium – Unlimited $2,000 scholarships for employees. Annual fee: $1,250.

The Partner+ and Premium options provide a variety of additional benefits, such as a free, one-time use of the Conference Center, advertising discounts in the college’s publications, and lunch with the college president, among others.

For companies that currently do not offer tuition reimbursement, there’s a Premium option that allows for up to 10 employee scholarships (worth $2,000 each), along with other advantages. To see the itemized benefits for each program, go here.

3. Workforce Development Continuing Education Program

“This is our short-term training option,” said Ortiz. “For organizations to perform well, employees often require training to build on skills they already have or add new skills.”

The college offers training in a wide range of subjects, such as communication, leadership, teamwork and problem-solving, to name just a few.

Both the Corporate Education and Workforce Development programs can be delivered in a variety of convenient formats:

• Onsite – at the organization
• On-campus – at the college’s Summerdale and/or Lancaster locations
• Online – the college has offered quality online learning since 2004
• Hybrid – a mix of in-person and online learning

“We seek to be a solutions provider for businesses and organizations in this region,” said Fedor. “Workforce development is a critical component for building a culture of transformative success.” To learn more about these initiatives, visit The Advancement Office Page or call 717-728-2333.