CAN DO, an economic development group in Hazleton, already has a service to help businesses in Luzerne County and the surrounding area cope with rising electricity costs. Through its Energy Solutions program, CAN DO has screened energy auditors, wind power firms and other providers before recommending them to prospective customers.
Now, the Energy Solutions initiative has resulted in a partnership between CAN DO and Penn State’s Hazleton campus, which recently started offering a bachelor’s degree program in general engineering.
Unlike other engineering programs in the Penn State system, Hazleton’s focuses on alternative energy and electricity generation. The idea is to train students to work in fields with increasing local prominence, like renewable energy and natural gas drilling.
Along with the bachelor’s degree curriculum, CAN DO and Penn State Hazleton are offering continuing education programs. The first two, scheduled for March, will focus on pumping systems and the basic principles of electricity.
“We’re training the existing workforce and preparing the future workforce,” says Bernie DeBias, director of the Energy Solutions program.
In the future, DeBias says Penn State and CAN DO will develop education programs based on regional companies’ training needs.
Source: Bernie DeBias, CAN DO
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen