State Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township, left, speaks with Lycoming Career and Technology Center Executive Director Nathan Minium, center, and student Trevor Meek, right, at the school in Hughesville on Wednesday. KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
HUGHESVILLE — Everyone at the “thank you” reception at the Lycoming Career and Technology Center seemed to agree on one thing: The planned expansion of the facility is going to be a game changer.
The center has 330 students enrolled in classes ranging from automotive technology and computers to health careers, culinary arts and criminal justice. That number is up about 30 to 35 students over last year’s enrollment and that doesn’t include the students who are waitlisted.
“Historically, we’ve seen wait lists in automotive. We’ve seen wait lists in culinary. We’ve had wait lists in early childhood education this year, criminal justice. So, you know, our programs have been full. Enrollments have been really healthy. I think the expansion projects are really going to open up some seats and opportunities for more students who want to be here to attend,” said Nathan Minium, executive director.
“I think there’s an awareness of career and technical education and changing the thoughts behind it. It’s not about tech anymore. Career and technical education is for all students. Whether you’re going to the workforce or you’re going to college, these are options that can prepare you,” he added.
Students from the various career paths were on hand to share their experiences and to thank the local legislators who had helped to obtain a $5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant toward the costs of the estimated $14 million project.
Lycoming Career and Technology Center Executive Director Nathan Minium, talks about the expansion plans at the school in Hughesville on Wednesday. KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
For Emma Neidig, a second-year student in the automotive program, the expansion of the site means an increase in the number of programs offered in her area of study — particularly in diesel and welding.
“I think that adding the other program is going to help a lot for more opportunities for more kids to learn because just like me, I didn’t know anything and then this opportunity came along and I got into Lyco and it’s helped a lot,” she said.
Trevor Meek, from the Benton area, spoke with Sen. Gene Yaw, Loyalsock, one of the legislators instrumental in securing the grant for the expansion project.
“I feel it’s very informative,” Meek told Yaw. “I came in here knowing pretty much nothing and now, I’m not able to tear apart every single vehicle I see,” but he can do some things, he said, before Yaw joked, “it’s really easy to take them apart, it’s difficult to put them back together.”
“I really enjoy what I do,” Meek continued. “I really appreciate you for helping the school I love so much expand.”
Lycoming Career and Technology Center Automotive Assistant Eric Hall, left, and student Emma Neidig, right, talk about the programs available at the school in Hughesville on Wednesday. KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Meek talked about the various areas of study that had been offered over the time that he had been at the school such as engine tuning and engine disassembly.
Yaw shared that, when he was Meek’s age, he tore engines apart, but “I don’t have a clue what makes them go now.”
Yaw also reminisced about his involvement with the Williamsport Area Community College, the forerunner of the Pennsylvania College of Technology.
“I’ll give you a little bit of history. My involvement with technical education goes back longer than most of you have been alive, and it started with an organization called Williamsport Area Community College. Most of you never, maybe never even heard of it. The Williamsport Area. Community College was sponsored by 20 school districts, and I gotta tell you, getting 20 school districts to agree on anything was difficult. Just imagine the budget being approved by 180 people. You went to one school district, and if they changed it, then you had to go back and start all over again,” Yaw said.
Yaw admitted when the idea of Lyco CTC was first presented to him, he thought, “OK, here we go again. A whole bunch of school districts are going to get together and it’s going to be ugly.”
“That’s not what’s happened, and I’m very encouraged by that…I’m just glad that it works. And to see the number of students that participate in this, it’s amazing. I’m still involved in that obviously now with Penn College — I’m chairman of the board — when you talk about welding and the need for it, our welding program is wait-listed into next year. When I say next year, I mean fall of 2025, the program is already full. So you’re looking at an area where there’s a huge demand. So I mean, thank you for making it work. I guess that from a legislative point of view, we like to see things that really work. And obviously, I think this does, so thank you,” Yaw said.
Eric Hall, an instructor in the automotive program pointed out that a lot of the students who come for that program are not there because they want to be auto technicians.
“They want to be in an industry like agricultural, industrial engines, diesel related, generally agricultural and industrial welding, both ways. So that being said, with the 84 kids that we have that come every day come here, there’s probably 20/25, of them that want to be in one of those two fields already. And then that also leaves room for those 15 or 20 that are on our waiting list to already be in our program and or got placed into one of those two programs. So instead of having that waiting list of people trying to and wanting to be here, then we can divide them up into the correct curriculums that they would like, and then we can accept more…I think it’s huge and that just comes from the automotive field,” Hall said.
“Lyco CTC has been a great place for students to find their niche, their passion. Our staff really helps develop students for the workforce,” Minimum said.
Brandon Flannery, is one of those students that found their niche at Lyco CTC and now is back as an instructor at the school in the computer program.
“When we have our ninth grade tours come through December, January, every year, that’s kind of been my speech to every single one of them. I was here a year late, I was here in 11th and 12th grade. But frankly, I didn’t have a clue, really, what I wanted to end up doing after high school,” Flannery said.
“You know, in middle school, eighth and ninth grade, you just kind of coast…’I got to do all these English reports and math is really terrible.’ Just, you’re just kind of getting through and then I just came down here on the tours, like, oh, might as well check this out. And really, it was the 10 or 15 minutes of the computer tour… But I don’t even remember what I felt I did that day, because it was just wow, all of a sudden, this really clicks,” he said.
The instructor at the time was showing students on the tour a couple of things when, as many current students shared, it suddenly just clicked.
“We were really more into desktops and laptops back then, but just being with us for a couple minutes, just kind of having a couple of demonstrations there, I went home and kind of tore into the computer and stuff that I had. ‘Oh, wow, all of a sudden, this makes sense,’” he said.
The school is working with the architects to get construction documents ready to go out to bid, according to Minium.
“We hope to secure our bonds that we need to match the grant, but we’re looking at spring of ’25 to get our bids out,” he said.
“Our priority is going to be to expand new programs and add welding technology and diesel technology to our offerings. We’re also looking to expand the facilities and renovate the facilities so that more students could attend the programs that we currently run,” he added.