SUNBURY — Northumberland County could be the place for new jobs and initiatives of the upcoming spike in rural job growth expected in the United States — but only if they’re ready.
Northumberland County Commissioner Kymberley Best, who attended the Rural Community College Association conference at the White House Wednesday to bring back information for the Susquehanna Valley Community Education Project, wants to be prepared for the future.
“We want to be ready for the companies returning to the country,” she said.
The local community college initiative, set to offer three non-credit courses in the spring, could be the catalyst to train these workers who need these jobs.
According to information provided at the conference, Best said it is now more profitable for companies to return to the United States, partly because of cultural differences and instability of certain countries.
Salary.com recently reported that 37 percent of manufacturing executives are planning or giving serious consideration to returning from overseas — often called “reshoring” or “insourcing” — including General Electric and Master Lock.
“Labor costs in China are rising quickly — up to 10 percent in the last year alone, by some accounts,” according to Salary.com.
As many as 3 million jobs could be added to the U.S. job market by the end of the decade, according to Salary.com.
Best also said that studies, according to information from the conference, show that people from rural areas are wired to think differently that those who sit behind computers. They are expected to the backbone of this job reshoring.
Furthermore, Best also described a tax incentive program for private businesses who want to partner with local community colleges to develop specific courses to train students for company-specific jobs. She said it’s likely that Weis Markets or Furmano’s could benefit from this.
Northumberland County Commissioner Sam Schiccatano, a retired educator, supports such an initiative.
“It’s not about extra education, it’s about picking and bringing the right education into the community,” he said.
Best said the conference was beneficial for the local project.
“I learned a great deal about the need, design an fit for rural counties,” Best said.
“It was an eye-opener and renewed my confidence that we need it (community college).”
The Susquehanna Valley Community Education Project Board is will begin offering mini courses at the Shikellamy High School in March, including Navigating the Route to College, Job Hunting & Getting Hired and Statistics for Dummies.
The goal is to have 25 students enrolled; as of now, there are 17.
The next step is to raise $80,000 to hire the first president and to apply to be a licensed school, which will allow the purchase of licensed curriculum.
The road to accreditation is likely to take five years, Best said.
For more information on the community college initiative, the January fundraising launch, or the upcoming courses, call 570.898.4334 or go online to:
Email comments to jstrawser@dailyitem.com. Follow Justin on Twitter @JustinLStrawser
