4 min read January 2022 — “Pittsburgh Technical College is critical to the region and is helping to rebuild the Commonwealth through the education and training of a talented workforce and its leaders,” Alicia Harvey-Smith, president and CEO of Pittsburgh Technical College, stated in her conversation with Invest: while discussing the significance of the college to the local economy. She also spoke on the current state of demand for the college’s different programs, ensuring students receive a return on their investment, and the primary challenges facing higher education at this time.
What distinctions have put the spotlight on PTC?
Pittsburgh Technical College is a private, regionally accredited two-year, non-profit institution that subscribes to a higher standard in education. This is something I’m very proud of, as the “PTC Magic” is emblematic of our college culture, one that represents a commitment to excellence and accountability. Several recent distinctions have put the spotlight on our small but mighty college. In June 2020, the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security formally announced Pittsburgh Technical College as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE), the first two-year college in Western Pennsylvania to earn this designation.
This prestigious designation indicates that PTC’s Information Systems and Technology (IST) degree programs are validated by the highest security agencies in the nation, and less than 7% of all U.S. degree-granting post-secondary institutions have earned this designation. This distinction has been given to both concentrations for the Associate in Science in Information Technology – Network Administration and Associate in Science in Information Technology – Network Security and Computer Forensics.
Pittsburgh Technical College was also recognized by the Pittsburgh Technology Council with its distinguished 2021 Innovator of the Year Award, and I was very honored to receive the coveted 2021 distinction of CEO of the Year.
This past year, the College also earned three National Science Foundation Grants, resulting in more than $1 million in additional funding. With these grants, PTC is partnering with the Beaver County Career and Technology Center and more than 17 local school districts to develop summer camps and cybersecurity competitions to promote increased participation of high performing, underserved and underrepresented students in high tech fields. In addition to programmatic innovation, we have also launched a new Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), within the President’s Office. This Office will expand the college’s efforts in DEI to support college operations and faculty, staff, and students, as we bring together a more diverse community.
I am also excited to announce the establishment of the Pittsburgh Technical College – Corporate College. This innovative and future-focused strategy is designed to provide standard and customized workforce development and training solutions to individuals and businesses. The Corporate College will help provide a pipeline to a professionally trained workforce and customized training. PTC’s Corporate College provides critical solutions for diverse industries and populations.
Where does demand for your programs stand today?
Like most colleges, our enrollment from students coming immediately from high school was dramatically impacted by the pandemic, while returning and older adult student enrollment has remained consistent. Nationwide, more of these students have chosen to take a gap year to spend time with family or stay close to home, or to delay accumulated debt in a time of financial insecurity.
Programmatically, most of our programs remain consistent. There continues to be a demand for healthcare and nursing, of course. The need for technology experts, particularly in relation to cybersecurity, has also increased and PTC is ready and able to fill that need
Computer-aided drafting used to be a staple in the industrial arts programs in many high schools, but in the past decade or so, most schools have dropped it from their offerings. As such, the awareness of the field and the interest to pursue it in college took a downturn. However, the demand for knowledgeable, skilled workers in computer-aided drafting has grown exponentially, yet few colleges and universities are offering applicable training.
PTC has adapted to the COVID environment with hybrid programs, including a robust mix of online and on-ground classes that require instruction in specialty labs or at clinical sites. But there’s one thing that hasn’t changed: PTC provides the education and support necessary to prepare students for exceptional careers in diverse fields.
PTC offers more than 30 programs of study with each designed to assist students outperform many of their peers in their chosen career path. The professional and personal success of each student is paramount and is built into every degree and non-degree program.
What is the significance of PTC to the region’s economy?
Two of Pittsburgh Technical College’s focus areas center on becoming a primary pathway for middle skills jobs and fueling economic development. PTC is critical to the region and is helping to rebuild the Commonwealth through the education and training of a talented workforce and its leaders. In large part, this is because many PTC graduates remain right here in Allegheny County to support the region’s economy. In the year after graduating, 62% of 2015-2020 graduates contributed more than $89 million to the nation’s economy.
In what ways do you hope to expand upon the programs you offer in anticipation of future industry demands?
PTC is always looking to the workforce in the Pittsburgh region and beyond to determine program expansion and regional needs. This connection to business and industry is critical to aligning our curriculum with workforce demand. We currently have more than 300 Program Advisory Board members from more than 30 distinct industries, who assure our programs are relevant, forward focused and in demand. The President’s Executive Advisory Council, which I recently established, brings together the top CEO’s and leaders from across Pittsburgh to discuss and explore future industry demands and how PTC can remain on the cutting edge in solutions.
Our current focus is on robotics as we are developing a new partnership with the ARM Institute. I have also signed a new transfer articulation agreement for a fast-track MBA partnership with West Liberty University. Pittsburgh Technical College is committed to positioning itself as a college of choice for technical and applied in demand education. We are also staking a role in the development of the pipeline needed to support the projected growth of autonomous vehicles. We are presently engaged in finalizing details with a leading industry partner in this area, with a similar agreement being negotiated with a national health care provider to support nursing education and key organizational operations within that industry.
In what ways is PTC ensuring students receive a return on their investment?
As president, ensuring students and families receive a quality return on their investment is most important. The most important thing that we do in this area is listen. We listen to families, business and industry and we remain informed about what matters most. We have a roughly 95% in-field placement rate, which has been quite consistent over the last several years. We’re able to achieve this because every one of our students has an opportunity to receive an internship experience or capstone. As a result, many of the business and industry partners that bring our students in for these learning experiences ultimately hire them, often before they graduate. This is a big deal, as families are paying close attention to the return on investment from a college education and immediate and competitive professional employment is a significant ROI, and all of our graduates are able to utilize our professional career services for life. As they grow, we grow with them and as a result they have at-the-ready career consultation when it matters.
What are PTC’s top priorities for the coming years?
In partnership with colleges and universities across the Greater Pittsburgh region, we agree that we cannot achieve excellence with complacency. The pandemic has been a tremendous opportunity to learn and improve. PTC developed a five-year strategic plan during the pandemic, and we are well underway, executing our strategic directions and objectives, which include Expanding Access, Enabling Success and Skills for the Future, Aligning Workforce Demand and Curriculum Focus, Elevating Public and Private Partnerships, Enhancing Financial Stability and Stewardship and Promoting a Culture of Excellence and Accountability.
Over the next three years, we are strategically focused on growing our academic strength and programs to become even more effective as we are positioned as the go-to provider for a qualified and professional workforce and for organizational leaders and researchers in the STEM and Applied and Technical areas. PTC is on course to becoming a thought-leader and developer of innovative strategies to support rebuilding the workforce of Pittsburgh and the Commonwealth. We will do this strategically and in partnership with other educational institutions and with the support of business and industry partners.
What are the main challenges facing the higher education sector at this time?
The primary challenges for colleges and universities, particularly post-COVID, surround access to education and technology for students disproportionately impacted due to the pandemic. Other challenges involve finding innovative ways to address affordability, as more families question higher education’s return on investment. Declines in enrollment, programmatic relevance and alignment with careers will be recurring challenges, as many prospective students see numerous opportunities to earn competitive wages without a degree and are hesitant to accumulate debt without assurance of employment.
Addressing the technology challenge is important to PTC, as each student is provided the appropriate electronic and technical equipment needed to perform, as well as the cost of books and other materials through tuition. One innovative approach that we have taken to address the affordability conundrum has been to explore the expansion of stackable and micro credentials to prepare students immediately for competitive roles at a more manageable price point.
At PTC, we transform students into professionals with strong academics and the project-based education they want and employers demand. Degree-seeking students graduate with internship experience or clinical rotations as a required part of the curriculum. This simply means PTC graduates are prepared to succeed and make an impact from day one.
In what ways has PTC been impacted by the pandemic?
The pandemic prompted us to review all college support services available to our students and to ask the question, how can we better serve their needs? As president, I made available expanded virtual and tele counseling services, making it available to students, their families and faculty and staff who may need it. We also were able to place many support operations online, allowing students access to virtual opportunities to connect with peers and faculty. The need to connect was the No. 1 concern that students expressed.
In the fall of 2021, we were also able to successfully open the first on-campus Student Health and Wellness Center that includes a fitness center donated by a distinguished alumnus and through strategic partners with the Citrone 33 Foundation, UPMC and Highmark. The increased levels of anxiety that resulted from the pandemic led us to enhance accessibility to on-campus mental health services that include individual and group counseling self-care seminars, that both students and employees can attend.
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