Schools to play key role in Greene’s high-tech future
With all of the high-tech hopes officials have for the future of Greene County’s economy, an important piece of the effort will be having a work force to meet the needs of the companies the county’s Industrial Development Authority hopes to attract. GCIDA board chairman Dr. Charles Rembold, who also serves as superintendent of the Jefferson-Morgan School District, has said that EverGreene Technology Park, awaiting development in Franklin Township, could bring as many as 750 high-tech jobs to the county.
Central Greene School District superintendent Dr. Jerome Bartley said the demand for high-tech professionals has risen steadily since the mid-1990s, and as technology grows, demand for technology-savvy employees will rise along with it.
“The schools can serve as learning centers to provide opportunities for re-training of mid-career and late-career workers as well as providing high school students with entry-level technology skills,” he said.
The district is one of three in Greene County that hosts technology courses at the high school through a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant, and a former district school is the home of the Greene County branch of Westmoreland County Community College. In addition, Bartley said the consortium of superintendents from the county will work with industry leaders to offer required courses to help students make the transition from high school to high-tech careers.
With EverGreene to be located within the confines of his district, Bartley said the park could benefit Central Greene and the county as a whole, and he stressed the importance of having people ready to meet any needs.
He said a willingness to provide training for technology careers and to form partnerships will only make the county a more attractive site for companies. With the fiber-optic connection and proximity to both Pittsburgh and Morgantown, W.Va., he said people who once looked at Greene County as only a home to coal mines may have to rethink their views.
“I believe Greene County has been proactive in bringing high-technology training to county residents, and I am confident that the county schools and the emphasis on technology education can meet the needs of high-tech industries that may be coming to Greene County,” Bartley said.
Ellen Hildebrand, president of the Jefferson-Morgan School Board, said much of the changing economy will begin with EverGreene, but the work force has to be ready. She said the GCIDA and the school districts have worked hard to obtain grants to provide computer infrastructure and training.
She said having more jobs for students coming out of local high schools and colleges will allow more young people to stay in Greene County and provide more of a culture. Hildebrand said meeting the needs now and in the future will be an important piece in growing a new economy and making it successful.
“We’ve accomplished a lot, but I know we have much more to do,” she said.
Rembold said teacher assessment and retraining are vital to include technology into every curriculum in every school district in the county. With the use of “technology mentors,” or teachers with more technology literacy than others, all teachers in the county will know more and be able to incorporate technology into learning, he said.
“We’re making an investment in our community, and we are hoping this will keep families together and keep people here,” he said. “We’re giving people of all ages a chance to be ready for the high-tech jobs that will be coming our way.”