Gov. Tom Wolf recently visited Lehigh Carbon Community College, Schnecksville, to discuss trucking and manufacturing positions with local company team leaders and students. Wolf was introduced by LCCC President Dr. Ann Bieber, who helped lead discussion topics.

Upon his arrival at the college, Wolf, Bieber and LCCC Board of Trustees Chairwoman Roberta Marcus toured the commercial truck driver training facilities and the college’s new manufacturing mobile unit, which prepares workers for more higher level jobs in manufacturing.

CDL Program Director John Craven answered questions from Wolf and discussed what the student drivers do.

Instructors Don Worman and Tom Bux discussed the mobile manufacturing lab.

As Wolf finished his tours at the CDL parking lot, he and Bieber walked to the Community Services Center for a roundtable discussion.

During the discussion, Wolf discussed the importance of truck driving, manufacturing and their current need.

He also spoke about how they’ve changed over time. Local company leaders from trucking or manufacturing places described what their companies are doing currently as well.

Gov. Wolf was also able to have discussions with current and former LCCC students who went through the CDL program or the manufacturing classes. Students in attendance were Matt Romanyshyn, a current LCCC manufacturing student and employee at FlexLink; Armando Caraballo, current LCCC manufacturing student and employee at Equipto; Jessica Petresky, an LCCC graduate of the CDL program and current LCCC CDL instructor; and Deverri Santiago, an LCCC CDL student.

All students explained to Wolf how much they benefited from either their manufacturing courses or the CDL program. They identified when first beginning in the program, they all thought they had to learn only how to drive a truck. By enrolling into the CDL program, they learned there is much more to truck driving.

By enrolling at LCCC and going through these programs, the students concluded it made them feel more advanced and ready for jobs in these fields. They described they learned so much that their heads felt full, but it was plenty of worthy information.

“We were just thrilled that the governor chose to come to the Lehigh Valley and certainly [to] Lehigh Carbon Community College,” Bieber said. “It shows that [Gov. Wolf] really appreciates all of the work and the efforts [in] all of the business community, as well as the education community here in the Lehigh Valley. We have such a strong partnership and to ensure that we have economic development [and] a strong economic development in the Lehigh Valley.

“And certainly two of the areas that are certainly instrumental in that strong economic development is CDL and advanced manufacturing, and that’s why [Gov. Wolf] chose to come here - to focus on how hard we are training the students, how are people coming in from the local community to be retrained and what are the job opportunities there for them after they receive training,” Bieber said.

As roundtable discussion concluded, everyone thanked and showed appreciation for Wolf taking his time to inquire about two of LCCC’s many programs that are experiencing a current need in the job force as he described.

“For us, we were thrilled that he chose [this] institution in the Lehigh Valley and to spotlight that throughout the commonwealth when he has conversations,” Bieber said.