Skilled Workers Power Pennsylvania's Future | Harrisburg News

0:00It's September 3rd. Harrisburg News Today starts now, AI powered and ready. Senator Dave McCormick recently checked out Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, and the big takeaway was the urgent need for skilled workers. We're talking about jobs in defense and tech, fields that are blowing up right now. Pennsylvania is looking at a potential shortfall of around 300,000 skilled workers by 2030, which is a serious number. The students there are getting hands-on training, and things like welding and advanced machining. Getting ready for careers, that power everything from building ships to running massive data centers. One student, Gavin Haynes, even got some real-world experience doing a welding program at a shipyard this past summer. He said it was a solid experience for his trade. McCormick met with these students and pointed out that it's not just defense companies like Hanh-Wa and BAE systems that need these folks. The demand stretches way beyond that, even with the growth in data centers. He's saying these trades are crucial for a lot of different industries.

1:03He also touched on the economic side of things, especially with proposed data center projects. McCormick believes these projects can be a real economic boost for communities, but he also stressed that local officials have the power to negotiate, with developers for the best deal before giving the green light. The college president, Pedro Rivera, highlighted how well their graduates do, with nearly 99% landing jobs or continuing their education, often with good salaries and little debt. He mentioned that the college's main hurdle to training more people is simply finding enough space to expand their programs.