Press Releases

Scranton, PA – Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) visited Johnson College with NEPA Alliance to announce a $75,000 federal grant for Johnson College through the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to help them expand workforce training in skilled trades.

The school will use the funds to establish a Mobile Training Laboratory to provide hands-on learning for high school students enrolled in Johnson College's dual enrollment and Industry Fast Track programs offered at a number of rural regional school districts. The laboratory will take technology and equipment not available within the school district to offer real world experience to students and give them a head start on various associate degree programs at Johnson College, thus reducing the time for entry into the workforce.

“I’m proud to announce this federal funding that will enable Johnson College to make their leading job training programs more accessible. This Appalachian Regional Commission grant will help the school bring a state-of-the-art skilled job training laboratory directly to high schools in rural Northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Rep. Cartwright. “No matter where they live, students who want to go into the trades deserve to have access to the best training so they can go from school right into a good-paying job.”

“We are excited to offer regional school districts and industry partners the opportunity to experience hands-on training at their locations through this new mobile training laboratory,” said Dr. Katie Leonard, President & CEO of Johnson College. “Our goal with the mobile training lab is to deliver the highest quality hands-on technical education possible to further educate, develop, and train a workforce ready to meet the needs of NEPA.”

“ARC funding is essential for Northeastern Pennsylvania to remain economically competitive with the rest of the country. NEPA Alliance is proud to have assisted Johnson College with this grant and we thank Congressman Cartwright for his strong and consistent support for ARC grants in our region,” said Jeffrey Box, President and CEO of NEPA Alliance.

The mobile laboratory will train students in industry-driven fields such as the building trades, technology, electronics and industrial. This program will help students get a head start on various associate degree programs at Johnson College and accelerate their entry into good-paying jobs. The program may also support customized training at industry partner sites to increase needed skill levels for companies’ existing workers.

Rep. Cartwright works closely with the staff of the NEPA Alliance, which serves as the conduit for ARC funds for the region. NEPA Alliance staff vet potential grant proposals and provide technical support for organizations seeking ARC and other federal and state grants. Since taking office in 2013, Rep. Cartwright has helped secure $4.1 million in funding for Northeastern Pennsylvania through ARC. In addition to this grant, recent ARC awards for the region include $1.5 million to fund the development of a substance abuse treatment center at SCI Waymart in Wayne County (October 2020) and $100,000 for Wilkes-Barre Connect to support their “NEPA Works” job training program (May 2020).

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Cartwright advocates each year to increase funding for ARC. In fiscal year 2021, he fought successfully to boost ARC funding by $5 million, for a total of $180 million for the year.

ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian region. ARC's mission is to innovate, partner and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia and help the region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.