State Sen. John Sabatina Jr. (D-5th dist.) recently brought together officials of biopharmaceutical leader AstraZeneca and Community College of Philadelphia to discuss ways to better prepare students for 21st-century jobs.
ldquo;The reason we make significant investments in post-secondary education is to prepare young people for good jobs in the modern workforce,” Sabatina said. “The only way to know whether we’re getting results is to make sure employers and educators are listening to each other.”
Astra Zeneca has a manufacturing facility at 3001 Red Lion Road. The company employs hundreds of full-time and seasonal workers at the local facility.
Sabatina was joined by Michael Faia, AstraZeneca’s facilities and engineering lead, and Guy Generals, president of Community College of Philadelphia, as well as state and local workforce development officials at CCP’s Northeast Regional Center, 12901 Townsend Road.
The group discussed a range of options for workforce development cooperation, from small adjustments to current curricula to better meet employer needs to additions to course offerings that would give students a leg up in applying for industry-specific jobs.
“We’re always looking to improve access to workforce opportunities for our students,” Generals said. “That’s what this meeting is all about.” ••
