Bedford County Technical Center receives $200,000 grant

The Pennsylvania Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Program recently awarded the Bedford County Technical Center (BCTC) a $200,000 grant to create awareness about local careers in the manufacturing industry.

BCTC serves the Bedford and Everett school districts as a shared time career and technical school. Tussey Mountain, Northern Bedford, and Chestnut Ridge districts send students on a paid tuition basis, as does Hope for Hyndman, a charter school.

“We are excited about the opportunities the Manufacturing Training to Career grant will provide the students, educators, and employers in Bedford County,” Michael O’Dellick, BCTC administrative director, said. “The grant will serve a dual purpose in the county-focused student engagement in local manufacturing and community awareness.”

BCTC will use the funding to implement the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” video contest and a community campaign to reinforce the contest message and promote opportunities.

The video contest will be implemented in 10 central Pennsylvania schools.

The campaign will promote high-tech career opportunities at regional manufacturing companies and will run in parallel with the video contest. The goal is to concentrate on youth, recent high school graduates, and underserved populations. BCTC plans to highlight local companies and the training paths available.

Training-to-Career grants support projects that advance manufacturing, job placement, or short-term work readiness.