December 10, 2019
Volume 1 | Issue 49
Your Weekly Commission Update
Community colleges play an important role in educating and training current and future generations of workers,
in addition to providing affordable and responsive higher education to thousands of Pennsylvanians every year.
Community Colleges Train Emergency Services Personnel
Westmoreland County Community College is just one of many community colleges across the Commonwealth that offers training for emergency service professionals and first responders. Upon successful completion of the course, students may be eligible to take the state certification exam and the National Registry Exam.
Student Overcomes Obstacles to Pursue College Degree
Despite being restricted to a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy, Lizzy Breznay is pursuing a degree in audio video communications at  Luzerne County Community College. Because Ms. Breznay is considered non-verbal, she uses assistive technology called Tobii, which relies on eye-tracking to complete words. 
Meet Jeffrey: First-Generation Police Science Student
Jeffrey Shrawder is pursuing his degree in police science at HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College, with plans to graduate this year. He hopes to join the Hershey State Police Academy and one day become a state police officer. “I am very proud to be a first-generation college student,” Mr. Shrawder said.
Community Colleges Teach Soft Skills for the Jobs of Tomorrow
Community colleges are partnering with local employers to identify skills gaps and create programs to fill them. However, the colleges also are preparing students for the careers of tomorrow with soft and technical skills , which  IBM  says they will need.

Article author Josh Bersin says, "These 'soft skills'... are complex and behavioral in nature, and they represent uniquely human skills that cannot be done by machines."
Birthdays & Milestones
Hope you Enjoy a Fabulous Year!
Happy (belated) Birthday to Sen. Camera Bartolotta , Sen. Tommy Tomlinson , Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill , Rep. Jonathan Fritz and Rep. Summer Lee !

Congrats to the  Pennsylvania Highlands Community College  Marketing & Communications Team on being awarded four  Medallion Awards from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR)!