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<p>NANTICOKE &#8212; Politicians, educators and business leaders gave speeches citing a report that stresses how community colleges improve a person&#8217;s earnings by providing skills in high demand at an affordable price. Then, they took a tour of Luzerne County Community College and unwittingly interrupted some of that training.</p><p>U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, was among those who walked into a noisy welding shop in LCCC&#8217;s Technology Center. The entourage quickly pointed out there was too much noise to hear Engineering Technology Assistant Professor Edward Kuehner explain the program. A switch was flipped, a button pushed, and the room grew silent.</p><p>As Kuehner talked, student Chris Hood of Dallas stood in a welding booth off to the side and put down his acetylene torch, with two small metal plates on the work bench partially welded into an upside-down T shape. He smiled when asked about his work, pointing out he had a welding test coming up, but also said he wasn&#8217;t concerned about the interruption &#8212; especially if it led to more support for the school training him.</p><p>Barletta, state Sen. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke, and Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce President Wico Van Genderen were among the dignitaries who had come to LCCC for an event touting a new report from &#8220;Ready Nation&#8221; &#8212; a group of business executives pushing to create a skilled workforce nationwide.</p><p>The report specifically singles out community colleges in Pennsylvania, noting projections that, by 2020, 63 percent of the jobs in the state will require at least some post-secondary education, and that 52 percent of employers already find it difficult to recruit qualified candidates.</p><p>Data also shows 29 percent of the jobs requiring college will not require a four-year degree, but could be filled by those with an associates degree or a vocational certificate &#8212; the very things community colleges provide.</p><p>During his comments, Barletta pointed out he attended classes at LCCC, then Bloomsburg University before starting his own business and later running for office. &#8220;The pathway to Congress leads through LCCC,&#8221; he grinned.</p><p>Yudichak cited a statistic in the report: More than 170,000 Pennsylvania jobs will not be filled by qualified in-state employees because of the skills gap. Many of those jobs could be filled by state residents if they could get the training at community colleges, Yudichak said, yet funding for community colleges &#8220;is still less than it was a decade ago.&#8221;</p><p>The report recommends four steps policymakers could take to improve access to and completion of community college offerings: Simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process used to determine who is eligible for federal Pell grants; make Pell grants good for the whole year rather than two semesters so they cover summer courses; provide more and continuous financial counseling for students; and improve accountability of community colleges, which should be gauged differently than four-year colleges.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, right, walks through the diesel shop in the Luzerne County Community College Technology Center escorted by college President Thomas Leary after a press conference on workforce education at the campus in Nanticoke on Monday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL050917LCCC_1.jpg</photo0><caption0>U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, right, walks through the diesel shop in the Luzerne County Community College Technology Center escorted by college President Thomas Leary after a press conference on workforce education at the campus in Nanticoke on Monday afternoon. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL050917LCCC_2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County Community College engineering technologies instructor Brandon Babbish, left, demonstrates fluid mechanics equipment to U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Wico van Genderen, and college President Thomas Leary during a tour of the Technology Center on the campus in Nanticoke on Monday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL050917LCCC_2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Luzerne County Community College engineering technologies instructor Brandon Babbish, left, demonstrates fluid mechanics equipment to U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Wico van Genderen, and college President Thomas Leary during a tour of the Technology Center on the campus in Nanticoke on Monday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL050917LCCC_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, left, Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Wico van Genderen, and Luzerne County Community College President Thomas Leary listen to engineering technology professor A. Edward Kuehner describe engineering design projects during a tour of the Technology Center on the campus in Nanticoke on Monday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL050917LCCC_3.jpg</photo2><caption2>U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, left, Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Wico van Genderen, and Luzerne County Community College President Thomas Leary listen to engineering technology professor A. Edward Kuehner describe engineering design projects during a tour of the Technology Center on the campus in Nanticoke on Monday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL050917LCCC_4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, right, is escorted by Luzerne County Community College President Thomas Leary during a tour of the Technology Center on the campus in Nanticoke on Monday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL050917LCCC_4.jpg</photo3><caption3>U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, right, is escorted by Luzerne County Community College President Thomas Leary during a tour of the Technology Center on the campus in Nanticoke on Monday. </caption3><photoCredit3>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL050917LCCC_5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges Director of Public Affairs Danielle Gross offers remarks during a press conference on workforce education at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke on Monday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL050917LCCC_5.jpg</photo4><caption4>Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges Director of Public Affairs Danielle Gross offers remarks during a press conference on workforce education at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke on Monday. </caption4><photoCredit4>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_LCCCBarletta.cmyk_.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County Community College engineering technologies instructor Brandon Babbish, left, demonstrates fluid mechanics equipment to U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Wico van Genderen, and college President Thomas Leary during a tour of the Technology Center on the campus in Nanticoke on Monday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_LCCCBarletta.cmyk_.jpg</photo5><caption5>Luzerne County Community College engineering technologies instructor Brandon Babbish, left, demonstrates fluid mechanics equipment to U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Wico van Genderen, and college President Thomas Leary during a tour of the Technology Center on the campus in Nanticoke on Monday. </caption5><photoCredit5>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_LCCCBarletta2.cmyk_.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges Director of Public Affairs Danielle Gross offers remarks during a press conference on workforce education at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke on Monday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_LCCCBarletta2.cmyk_.jpg</photo6><caption6>Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges Director of Public Affairs Danielle Gross offers remarks during a press conference on workforce education at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke on Monday. </caption6><photoCredit6>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit6></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

At LCCC, Barletta, Yudichak cite report touting community colleges