BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Scranton-based Lackawanna College is opening its largest trade school yet. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Tuesday at Lackawanna’s newest location in the Lehigh Valley.
The 42,000 sq. ft. facility on Airport Road in Bethlehem is now ready for the next generation of tradesmen.
“Most of the trade workers are getting older like me and they are retiring,” said Joe Brady, Center Director for the Lackawanna College facility.
Brady told us three associates degrees will be offered in carpentry, welding and electrical trades.
“You can’t be an electrician or a carpenter or a welder if you don’t actually do it so they learn the theory behind what they’re about to do in the classroom and they take that and go do boards or out into a shop or into the welding booth and then they apply what they learned in the classroom,” Brady explained.
The new center is equipped with 15 instructional rooms, four dedicated electrical labs, 28 welding booths and 6,500 sq. ft. for carpentry and construction technology.
Brady said there is a great need for tradesmen and not enough young people in trades to keep up with demand.
“We’ve seen young kids right out of high school come in, people from mid 20s or people that are getting close to retirement that their job goes away. AI takes it away and now they need a skill so they can come back and get re-trained and go right into the job force,” Brady stated.
Classes begin Aug. 31.
“It’s definitely a viable career path to have a great life,” Brady concluded.