Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
GOING TO WORK
Gov. Tom Wolf visits Manor College for career readiness, digital literacy roundtable
JENKINTOWN » Gov.Tom Wolf visited Manor College on Wednesday, May 18 to participate in a roundtable discussion about Manor College’s career readiness and digital literacy program. The Wolf Administration awarded the institution a $45,000 grant to provide greater access to employment opportunities in the 21st Century job market.
“Students can go out and get a job at a convenience store for $18 an hour, but there’s not much of a career with that,” Wolf said. “We’re interested in the full career and how students get past the first step.”
Wolf was joined by Labor & Industry Secretary Jennifer Berrier, Manor College President Dr. Jonathan Peri and other local elected officials. He took a tour of Manor College’s Basileiad Library during a career fair before participating in a roundtable discussion.
“We must ensure that job seekers at all levels have the necessary skills needed to effectively navigate digital platforms used in the workplace,” Berrier said. “The success of Pennsylvania’s workforce is dependent on digital competency — an effort made possible by the Digital Literacy and Workforce Development Grants and the work being done at Manor College to help students find competitive employment with family-sustaining wages.”
Manor College’s digital literacy program has served 85 students during the 2021-2022 academic year. More than 75 percent of these students took advantage of in-class career readiness instruction. Others had the opportunity to engage in one-on-one resume review with faculty and Manor College Career Center counselors.
“We want to teach students life skills in communication,” JP Lutz, dual enrollment coordinator at Manor College, said. “Students are applying for jobs online and they don’t know the rules of the game, like using keywords in your resume. This is what we’re trying to teach them.”
Christine Schoettle, program director of business
technology, added, “We want to get students more involved in the career searching process earlier. We teach them everything from how to write a resume, a cover letter and apply for a job in our earliest classes.”
Sam McFarlane, a rising sophomore in Manor College’s dental hygiene program, spoke at the discussion about his own experience at the institution shadowing a dental hygienist. During his sophomore year, he’ll work with real patients at Manor College’s Dental Health Center.
“I already started working on the next chapter of my life,” said McFarlane. “I know that experience is going to pay off. Manor has already prepared me to take that next step.”