New WCCC tech center aims to train students for in-demand jobs
Dina Opsitnick's journey to a glass-walled office in Westmoreland County Community College's new Advanced Technology Center was something of a homecoming.
As college officials, politicians and business leaders cut the ribbon on Friday at the 73,500-square-foot facility that houses WCCC's workforce training programs, Opsitnick recalled the work she used to do in the building, making Sony televisions.
Opsitnick, 58, of Southwest Greensburg was laid off from her job as an assembly-line worker for Sony in April 2006 as the company moved production overseas. Her husband, Mark, 59, was laid off from Sony on the same day.
“We loved our jobs at Sony. ... It was really tough for us,” Opsitnick said.
Opsitnick enrolled in WCCC's two-year business degree program in human resources and, in her final semester, was hired full time by the college. She works as administrative assistant to Doug Jensen, CEO of the Advanced Technology Center, in an area where she and her colleagues at Sony used to eat lunch in the cafeteria.
Her story highlights the center's goals: to train students for in-demand jobs or retrain workers who are looking for new employment.
“We're training tomorrow's workforce. That's what we're here for,” WCCC President Tuesday Stanley told hundreds of officials and community members who gathered at the East Huntingdon site.
“This is moving the county forward,” county Commission Chairman Charles Anderson said. “This is economic development.”
Carlos Cardoso, president and CEO of Kennametal Inc., said the greatest threat to America's middle class is the perception of manufacturing as “dirty.”
“Americans aren't aware that it's not their grandfather's manufacturing industry. ... It's a high-tech pursuit that demands shop-floor skills in material science, digital computing, engineering and math.”
The center, which opened to students on Aug. 21, houses programs such as welding, electronics, metallurgy and mechatronics that had been squeezed into about 18,000 square feet on the college's main campus near Youngwood.
The center features earth tones, abstract artwork and plush armchairs, a design that is intended to look more corporate and modern than old-fashioned industrial, Jensen said. The building houses classrooms, specialized labs and a large “flex space” that can accommodate machines in any configuration.
On Friday, students in the mechatronics program were learning to mount and stabilize motors on a flat metal work top in the flex space, just steps from a traditional classroom.
“The hands-on (learning) is what really drew me here,” said Zack Anderson, 21, of Fox Chapel. Before the Advanced Technology Center opened, Anderson said, all the machines were crammed into the classroom space.
“Now it's not clustered. The rooms are much bigger,” said Alex Murphy, 18, of Greensburg.
In the lounge-like HUB, students can sit at long, counter-height islands to plug in computers and other devices. A “cloud” of white panels hanging above reflects light onto the island, which is surrounded by terracotta and blue-patterned armchairs and small side tables. Around the HUB's perimeter are a quiet room, video booths and offices for career coaches.
“Few things in life are as-advertised,” Commissioner Ted Kopas said of the facility. “This is. This is everything manufacturers have been asking for.”
Kari Andren is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-850-2856 or kandren@tribweb.com.
