Building Workforce Systems That Endure in Today's Economy

On December 18, Lackawanna College broke ground on its new Career & Technical Innovation (CTI) Center in Scranton. While the ceremony marked the start of construction, the project itself reflects a broader shift in how workforce development, higher education, and economic policy must align to meet the demands of a rapidly changing economy.

This moment matters because many workforce investments today are structurally misaligned with how work now happens. Too often, programs are narrowly designed around a single job that may not exist five years from now. They are slow, delivering talent to industry only after students have lost momentum or become disengaged. And they are disconnected, with education, industry, and public policy operating in parallel rather than in partnership.

CTI is designed to address all three challenges at once.

The CTI model reflects that reality. Designed to open in summer 2026, the Center will serve both traditional students and incumbent workers through a combination of undergraduate degree programs, corporate training, and short-term, stackable credentials. This structure supports a life-minded approach to the workforce lifecycle – training, retraining, and continuous upskilling – recognizing that today’s workers will move across roles, technologies, and industries over the course of their careers.

The Scranton CTI campus will encompass approximately 24,000 square feet, including a new 17,000-square-foot facility alongside the renovation of an existing building. Together, these spaces will house programs in robotics and electronics, advanced automotive and electric vehicle systems, cybersecurity, and communications technology. These disciplines were selected not because they are trendy, but because they sit at the intersection of digital systems, automation, electrification, and physical infrastructure – forces reshaping industries ranging from transportation and logistics to manufacturing and energy.

Rendering of Lackawanna College's CTI

Lackawanna College

This approach is not theoretical.

Lackawanna College has already demonstrated the effectiveness of this model through its nationally recognized School of Petroleum and Natural Gas. For over a decade, that program has evolved alongside industry need-training students in wellsite operations, measurement, compression, and a wide range of service-side technical roles. Its success was driven not by preparing students for a single job, but by emphasizing fundamentals: safety, systems thinking, diagnostics, mechanical aptitude, and applied problem-solving.

That approach has produced measurable outcomes. The program consistently reports graduate placement rates in the high 90% range, with alumni recruited and hired by industry-leading companies such as Coterra Energy, Williams, and Expand, among others. These employers have not only hired graduates but invested directly in the program, recognizing that its graduates bring adaptability, technical competence, and real-world readiness.

The CTI project itself reflects that same public–private alignment. It was funded in part through a Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) tax credit from Coterra Energy, approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. This uniquely Pennsylvania program allows companies to invest tax dollars directly into workforce initiatives, producing measurable outcomes for students, employers, and communities alike.

CTI represents the institutional application of these lessons beyond a single sector.

At its core, CTI is designed to future-proof the workforce. By combining academic instruction with industry-modeled technical training, the Center emphasizes transferable skills that persist even as tools, technologies, and job titles change. Whether graduates ultimately work in energy, manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, or emerging technology fields, these competencies provide long-term mobility and relevance.

The December 18 groundbreaking should therefore be viewed not simply as a capital project, but as a signal of institutional intent. It demonstrates what is possible when higher-education leadership, industry investment, and public policy align around outcomes rather than optics.

If Pennsylvania is serious about workforce readiness, economic competitiveness, and opportunity, it must continue to invest in models that recognize career and technical education as essential public infrastructure. Grounded in proven success and built to support the full workforce lifecycle, the CTI initiative offers a blueprint worth following.

Dr. Jill Murray serves as President and Chief Innovation Officer of Lackawanna College, where she leads the institution’s strategic efforts in workforce development, technology-driven education, and industry partnership. Recognized nationally for her leadership in career and technical education, Dr. Murray has championed innovative models that align post-secondary education with evolving workforce and economic needs.

William desRosiers is Manager of Government and External Affairs at Coterra Energy, where he leads community engagement and workforce development initiatives across the energy industry.