The first set of industry tours for regional college representatives was held on June 22 with 6 "tourists" in attendance.  The tours are part of a collaborative project among regional colleges, JARI and the regional BASICS Committee.  The purpose of the project is to facilitate discussion between business and education regarding student internships, career opportunities and projects that provide real world work experience.

"We found the tours to be very informative and also a great opportunity for discussion of mutually beneficial ways to collaborate in the future," says Larry Brugh, Director of Career Planning and Employer Services at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.

A special thank you to the following companies and staff who hosted the tours:  Joan Colbert, Memorial Medical Center, James Platzer, WJAC TV and Becky Marshall and Bonnie Chiappini, Hiram G. Andrews Center.  The participating schools were Penn Highlands Community College, St. Francis University, Penn State Altoona and Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center.

Additional tours will be held across the region on an ongoing basis. If you are interested in hosting a tour, please contact Debi Balog

via email at [email protected] or by calling 814.262.8366.