Northeastern PA -
Northeastern Pennsylvania colleges and universities are educating the next generation of qualified, highly-skilled employees. Many of these graduates plan to remain in the region after graduation to seek employment.
Six colleges and universities across Northeastern Pennsylvania were ranked in the Top 100 of the prestigious U.S. News & World Report annual poll of the best regional colleges or universities in the north. The University of Scranton, which has made the list for 23 consecutive years, arrived sixth on this year's list followed by Keystone College ranked 29th, Misericordia University ranked 44th, Marywood University ranked 51st, King's College ranked 57th, and Wilkes University ranked 85th.
Penn State University ranked 50th in the nation in the U.S. News and World Report poll. Penn State has 24 campuses throughout Pennsylvania, including a campus in Greater Hazleton and three additional campuses in Luzerne, Lackawanna and Schuylkill counties.
Another poll showed that not only are students receiving quality education and skill sets at these institutions, but many of them are choosing to use what they learned to secure jobs in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The Institute for Public Policy & Economic Development at Wilkes University recently conducted their own poll of students at ten local colleges and universities. The poll revealed that one-third of students, including many who studied for trade professions, plan to stay in the region to start their careers after graduation.
Teri Ooms, executive director for the Institute for Public Policy & Economic Development, said, “The number of students who plan to remain in Northeast Pennsylvania after graduation shows a very positive outcome of their education experience here.”
Ooms also stated that having an increasing number of individuals in Northeastern Pennsylvania who are trained in a skilled trade along with the area's status as a top location for manufacturing companies, especially those in the food processing industry, is a winning combination.
“The food processing industry has expanded 11.5 percent regionally in the last six years. There are more than 70 food manufacturing firms employing more than 4,000 workers across Luzerne and Lackawanna counties,” Ooms said. “In Greater Hazleton alone, there are nearly a dozen companies in the food processing or food distribution sector that employ approximately 2,500 people. This demonstrates the strength this type of manufacturing has in the region.”
“NEPA colleges and universities receive high marks in U.S. News & World Report annual poll” We Can Do Food. March 24, 2017, http://wecandofood.com/2016/10/25/nepa-colleges-and-universities-receive-high-marks-in-u-s-news-world-report-annual-poll/. Web
