Ditch Studies Pre-Apprenticeship Through Penn College

The Pre-apprenticeship model through Penn Technical College (an affiliate of Penn State) provides an “overview of the foundational technical knowledge and skills in an industry sector.” It provides an opportunity for students to explore a career path — even before a student enters the workforce, and junior John Ditch has accepted the challenge of taking this course, typically $2,400, for free through a grant from the PA Department of Labor and Industry, the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, and through PA Smart.

Upon completion of the program, John will be eligible to sit for the Certified Manufacturing Associate certification assessment; the next logical step would be a career in the manufacturing field — important to closing the skills gap which has further widened since the Pandemic.

Through self-paced online learning modules and mobile on campus lab and mobile on-campus labs and assessment days, this project-based course offers industry-recognized certifications and works with industry-provided project templates.

During the first lab, the lesson involved working with a Pulley and Mechanical Advantage Lab which included several pulleys, collars with hooks, clamps, a wheel and axle, a cord, and brass weights. The idea was to investigate how different pulley systems can be used to change the amount of force needed to lift an object.

Here, John works with his lab partner, Emily Shaffer (Neshannock) to create a pulley system.