Gas Prices, Inflation, War…these were the underlying topics, but the brightest lights of our March 4th (march forth, if you like) Financial Friday - On The Mark when it hit the air waves was our local economic numbers and their cause-and-effect. During last Friday’s show, strengthening the chain which makes up our local continuum of education got the most attention.
Local unemployment numbers
We’re the lowest in the state. More precisely, Montour County has the lowest countywide unemployment rate (2.8%) in all of Pennsylvania. The group of four or five counties which make up the Greater Susquehanna Valley are without peer statewide.
Continuum of Education
Going back eight years, surveys of Chamber members consistently indicate strong support for our local primary, secondary, and vocational schools. Our post-secondary institutions, Bucknell, Lackawanna, and Susquehanna are also well supported. Career-based post-secondary institutions, McCann and Triangle Tech, are go-to institutions for Chamber members seeking skilled employees. Our partnership with the Penn State World Campus is recognized and reinforced by you and your fellow members.
The missing link, according to these surveys, was a community college. So, we built on the relationship that we happily inherited when we merged with the Brush Valley Chamber which was a center of the Luzerne County Community College (LCCC). Shamokin has hosted a center for well over two decades and it has earned a reputation as a ‘pipeline’ for local healthcare professionals.
In case you weren’t able to catch the Financial Friday-On The Mark show live, please take this opportunity. You’ll hear a statewide community college perspective as well as an up-to-the-minute status report on our three local LCCC centers. If time permits, please continue to listen to the entire program, as call-in guests offer their suggestions for the community college curricula and speak about the advantages of a locally administered community college.
All in all, the conclusion of the show is this: Our local continuum of education is among the strongest in all of Pennsylvania, and not surprisingly, our economy is among the best, as well.
Our best days lie just ahead.
Bob's Just a Word: The Economy and Our Continuum of Education
