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Lycoming Career and Tech Center expansion allows for increased enrollment

By Pat Crossley 6 min read

HUGHESVILLE -- With the start of the new school year literally knocking at the door, students, educators, community leaders and elected officials came together to celebrate the expansion and renovation project at the Lycoming Career and Technology Center (LycoCTC) which will enable about 150 additional students to enroll in the hands-on programs offered.

"Five years ago, our school community developed a vision of what the teaching and learning environment of career and technical education would look like for our member districts and our business and community partners," said Nathan Minium, executive director at LycoCTC.

"That vision of being the leader in providing progressive and innovative learning experiences that empower the success of a global workforce can be seen here today," he told those attending the ribbon cutting ceremony Monday.

In the past, several of LycoCTC's programs have carried a wait list because of the lack of space, but with the expansion more students will be able to attend the technology center.

Two shiny new truck tractors stood in the newly constructed garage bays where students will now be able study diesel technology, which along with welding technology have been added to the areas of study offered. The trucks were on loan for the day from a local dealership and will be replaced with another for students to learn on.

"The vision of expanding opportunities for more students to participate in career and technical education programs by renovating our existing programs has allowed for more students to come off of our wait list, and by creating two new programs, will increase the number of graduates leaving here, trained, certified and workforce ready," Minium said.

Also on hand for the official opening of the new space for LycoCTC was John Pulver who had served as executive director of the program 20 years ago when the original building was constructed.

"What brought us to it was a strategic plan. Much of what you heard of today, it was a strategic plan brought together by leaders and investors from business and industry for the whole county, and we just all came together and thought, let's do this for the students of Lycoming County, because prior to that students attended the Williamsport Area Community College, and then they formed the Lycoming Career and Technology Center, then the students were housed in satellite programs," Pulver said.

"We didn't feel that that was probably the most effective use of instructional time. So everyone kind of looked at it and said, 'Let's bring everyone together, work together to build one center and then share space with East Lycoming.' And now today we've expanded that vision after all these years with the same leadership. So it's wonderful. It's new leaders, but same vision," he added.

Elected officials highlighted the role that the state government had played in bringing the expanded LycoCTC vision to fruition. The school had received funding from the state through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) for the project, which enabled all the programs offered to be on one campus.

"The entire LycoCTC campus now fits seamlessly together and for the first time in LycoCTC history allows us to have all of our programs in the same space," said Dr. Craig Skaluba, superintendent of record, Muncy School District.

Students from six supporting districts -- Muncy, Loyalsock Township, Benton, Montoursville, East Lycoming and Warrior Run -- send students to LycoCTC and committed to the expansion project.

"Pulling into the parking lot for the first time to see all of the logos from our participating school districts together on the front of the Lyco CTC building, this image speaks to the teamwork and collaboration necessary to complete a project of this magnitude," Skaluba said.

When he took the podium, Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township, joked, "So this is what $5 million does. I just thought I'd mention that because it's kind of nice every once in a while to see what the money that we can appropriate, what it will do."

"I have always been an advocate of hands-on education.That goes for everything I do...I feel like this is almost like coming home to this institution and what goes on here," he said.

Yaw noted that it hasn't always been easy to convince people that hands-on education was needed.

"Even in the Senate, we have had problems in convincing people that hands-on education, like is provided here, or in many of the institutions like Penn College, is really needed and is so important. I think the first thing that we had to convince...are guidance counselors that hey, you know, hands-on education and education like you get here is critical for our economy. It's critical for the people, and you know, it's not a second-rate job," Yaw said.

"We also have a problem with parents -- I don't think that that applies with the parents here, but a lot of parents -- who think that the only college or the only training that really means anything is some four-year degree," he said.

He pointed to the push years ago to have students go into programming, jobs, which Yaw said have been eliminated in some ways by AI and data centers.

"But what has not been eliminated are the welders, the plumbers, the carpenters, all those people that make data centers run. You know hands-on people build them, hands-on people run them, and hands-on people take care of the HVAC, and all those things," Yaw said.

"Since my involvement with Lyco CTC goes way, way back, and to see this expansion and what it's going to do and how it's going to increase the students and expose you to really good jobs that are lasting jobs and not ones that are going to disappear from AI or anything like that," he said.

Reps. Joe Hamm, R-Hepburn Township, and Jamie Flick, R-South Williamsport, also spoke briefly at the event praising the expansion. Other speakers included Greg Scoggins, East Lycoming Superintendent; Rick Smith, Hughesville Mayor; David Messenger, president of the LycoCTC joint operating committee; and Nick Soccio, of GSL Government Consulting.

"Today we are celebrating what can happen when people come together around a shared vision and refuse to give up on the future," said Messenger.

"These new spaces represent opportunity. They represent growth and most importantly, they represent our belief in the students of LycoCTC and preparing them for the careers and opportunities that await them," Messenger added.

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