In March of 2016 Sussex County Community College (SCCC) and Warren County Community College (WCCC) initiated a unique partnership, dubbed “Skylands Professional Training”, intended to offer residents of Sussex County, and the Northwest Region as a whole, an expanded selection of choices for certification programs and non-credit courses.
The agreement, officials said, would strengthen economic and workforce development throughout the area. That effort – and success of the program – was recognized recently by the Sussex County Economic Development Partnership with the Training and Workforce Development Award. SCCC, and WCCC, accepted the award at the Partnership’s annual awards event.
“The collaboration between SCCC and WCCC is a terrific example of two leaders in higher education working together to enhance the educational offerings to their students, while helping each institution to control costs through a shared service, and at the same time offering the best workforce training for our residents and businesses,” said Tammie A. Horsfield, President of the Sussex County Economic Development Partnership, Inc. “We commend Skylands Professional Training for boosting the economic prospects of participants and for helping to ensure that local businesses have access to a highly skilled workforce.”
“The partnership we forged offers customized training to help strengthen workforce education opportunities in our region by providing non-credit courses and certification training for jobs in demand,” said Dr. Jon Connolly, President of SCCC. “Through the partnership we combined the strengths of two institutions with similar goals.”
“The program is doing what it was intended to do – provide timely comprehensive courses to meet the needs of our residents and the needs of the regional workforce,” added Dr. Austin, President of WCCC. “We will continue to update and expand our programs based on current job market trends.”
The first courses and programs offered through the partnership were predominately in the health/science/allied health fields, such as Dialysis Technician, Physical Therapy Aide, Pharmacy Technician, Veterinary Assistant and Opthalmic Assistant. However, the program has since expanded to include many other fields in which economic prospects are heightened.
In addition to the the Sussex County Economic Development Partnership’s presentation of the Training and Workforce Development Award to SCCC, several businesses were recognized in various other categories.
Course information on the various programs can be found at www.warren.edu/ce.
Photo left to right, Dr. Jon Connolly, President of SCCC, Joseph DiPaolo, President, Western Region at Atlantic Health System and on the Board of Trustees of the Sussex County Chamber of Commerce, and Dr. Will Austin, President of WCCC.
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