Western Pa. technical schools among recipients of $1.2M in state equipment grants

Parkway West Career & Technology Center Executive Director Darby Copeland was frank about educators’ ability to keep their students on the cutting edge of technology.

“Like all schools, none of us has a big bucket of money laying around,” Copeland said.

That made it all the more important for Copeland to be able to leverage a 50% match and secure a competitive state grant to help purchase new equipment.

Parkway West will receive just over $38,000, which the school will match. It is part of a $1.2 million grant package going to more than 30 career and technical schools in Pennsylvania.

“Grants like this can really be the difference that allows us to offer the most up-to-date education,” Copeland said. “We really appreciate it and hope that it continues in the future.”

Both Parkway West in Oakdale and the A.W. Beattie Career Center in Hampton will use part of the grant funding to purchase Precision Measuring Certification equipment from the Snap-On company.

“It has all the measurement gauges you use in the automotive industry, and we’ll use it with the approximately 75 students in that program from year to year,” A.W. Beattie Principal Eric Heasley said.

The Snap-On curriculum provides not only expertise but also the opportunity to become certified in making precision measurements with tools used in the manufacturing, aerospace, engineering, power generation and natural resource industries.

“It’s a wonderful purchase, and it gives our students a leg up on what’s coming for them in life,” Copeland said.

At Eastern Westmoreland Career & Technical Center in Derry Township, a $47,290 grant will be doubled through matching funds for multiple purchases, administrative director Todd Weimer said.

“We’re buying a natural gas deck oven for our culinary program to replace a piece of antiquated equipment,” Weimer said. “We’re also purchasing a wheel-balancing unit for our automotive program that’s very high-tech.”

It’s not going to replace the current unit, though.

“There are still some employers around here using the older equipment, so we want to make sure students are prepared for the situation they walk into,” Weimer said.

Since 2015, the number of career and technical school students earning industry-recognized credentials has increased by nearly 50%, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The Keystone State is home to more than 80 career and technical schools.

“Career and technical centers continually provide excellent educational and professional opportunities for students across the commonwealth,” Acting Secretary of Education Eric Hagarty said in announcing the grants. “Investing in career readiness and career exploration is a priority for (the department of education), and we encourage recipients to utilize this funding to enhance and expand these learning programs, which will help students excel in their chosen fields.”