LCCC President John Yudichak Headlines Greater Hazleton Chamber Red Carpet Breakfast with Vision for Workforce Innovation and Regional Growth

Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) President John Yudichak delivered a keynote address this morning at the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Red Carpet Breakfast, hosted at the Valley Country Club and sponsored by Vytal Plant Research. With optimism and energy, President Yudichak shared his vision for how higher education, business, and government partnerships are powering transformative change in Greater Hazleton and across Northeastern Pennsylvania.*

"I have never been more optimistic, more energized about the future of Greater Hazleton and of Northeastern Pennsylvania than I am right now," said President Yudichak, addressing a full house of regional leaders, elected officials, educators, and business professionals.

President Yudichak highlighted LCCC's leadership in workforce development through groundbreaking regional collaborations, including the newly launched Teach in NEPA Project. The initiative--a joint effort with the Hazleton Area School District and Commonwealth University--offers a debt-free pathway to a four-year teaching degree delivered entirely at LCCC's Hazleton Center.

"The Teach in NEPA Project breaks down all the barriers to higher education," said Yudichak. "It empowers students to chart a pathway to a college degree and a rewarding professional career without going into debt?and without ever having to leave the city of Hazleton."

He also unveiled the LCCC Career & Technology Academy, created in partnership with the Hazleton Area Career Center, Wilkes-Barre CTC, and West Side CTC, with over 2,000 high school students in Luzerne County now eligible to earn tuition-free college credits. The project is supported by a $1 million Dual Credit Innovation Grant from the PA Department of Education and a $100,000 scholarship gift from William Rinaldi.

Yudichak emphasized that these education pipelines are perfectly timed to meet the workforce demands brought on by large-scale investments?most notably, Amazon's recent announcement of a $20 billion project to construct hyperscale data centers in NEPA.

"Get ready Greater Hazleton--big tech and the AI revolution are coming," Yudichak said. "These projects will create more than 10,000 skilled trade jobs and 1,200 technology jobs. At LCCC, we are responding with strategic, collaborative partnerships."

President Yudichak also previewed the creation of a new Technology and Trade Workforce Consortium, uniting four regional community colleges--Luzerne, Lehigh, Northampton, and Bucks--to launch Career & Technology Academies, MicroCredential Academies, and Construction & Trade Pre-Apprenticeship Academies.

"LCCC has become the region's most collaborative partner," Yudichak concluded. "At LCCC, community is in our name, community is our mission?and we love being part of the Greater Hazleton community."

The event began with remarks from Hazleton Area School District Superintendent Dr. Brian Uplinger and included recognition of elected officials, including State Senator David Argall. Sponsor Vytal Plant Research was represented by Dr. Shobha Rudrabhatla, who also shared her organization's commitment to STEM education in the region.

For more information about the Teach in NEPA Project, LCCC Hazleton Center, or the Career & Technology Academy, visit www.luzerne.edu.