In addition to offering academic programs, Northampton Community College is a major provider of workforce training in northeastern Pennsylvania. According to Dr. Paul Pierpoint, vice president of the College’s Community Education Division, during the last year the College has seen significant growth in demand for services especially in the health care and hospitality industries and in the areas of management coaching and occupational safety.

Highlights of the past twelve months include:

The opening of a Hospitality Career Institute on the sixth floor of the College’s Fowler Family Southside Center on East Third Street in Bethlehem. The Institute will play a key role in training the 1,800 new hires anticipated next spring at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem and in serving other employers in the hospitality and tourism industry.

The most successful year yet for the College’s Center for Healthcare Education. The staff provided skills training for more than 5400 health care workers. The largest training contracts came from Lehigh Valley Hospital and Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital. The Center also provided CPR and first aid training for more than 4000 young people and adults through a partnership with the American Heart Association, an increase of 150 percent over last year. Another collaborative program focused on playground inspection and safety education at 1,800 child care facilities in 15 counties.

The strongest year to-date for the College’s Leadership Development Institute, including work with executives and professionals at all levels of management in such areas as supervision, business technologies and leadership development. LDI saw more than 30 per cent growth in revenues this year following 30 per cent growth the year before. In addition to local clients, the staff worked with Church and Dwight (known for its Arm & Hammer line), Dun & Bradstreet, and ArcelorMittal, the largest steel company in the world.

The addition of new programs in industrial and institutional safety, construction management with code inspection offerings, and emergency response planning and preparedness, including the development and implementation of a comprehensive, uniform emergency action plan for all the school districts in Northampton County.

The launch of a new consulting service in strategic training plan development and outcomes reporting.

The addition of online learning modules called Ed2GoPro as a cost-effective training option for many businesses.

Expansion of course offerings in industrial trades and technologies, including the introduction of a mini-diploma in apartment and office maintenance. Clients for other types of technology training came from industries ranging from fabricating and manufacturing to service and consumer products.

Administration of more than $1 million in Customized Job Training grants to help local employers with training needs.

Provision of close to 800 adult literacy and basic workforce development classes funded by $2.3 million in grants. Two new grants funded programs that offer adults the opportunity to earn a national work readiness credential.

Requests for assistance from circuit assembly and electronics manufacturing companies in France and China as well as in the United States. This specialized expertise is provided through Northampton’s National Training Center for Microelectronics.

In the year ahead, Pierpoint expects to see a lot of volatility in the demand for the college's training and consulting services. "Many firms are looking at tight training budgets as the economy struggles. That could mean slower growth for the division, but it may also mean increased demand for some of our units as employers turn to us as a more cost-effective training provider that allows them to get more for their limited training dollar. In addition, economic slow downs almost always lead to substantial increases in demand for public training courses as people seek to strengthen their own skill sets or train for a career change. We have seen a lot of that in our technology training programs in the last year and I only expect that pick up."