BY GREG WILLIAMS

Sentinel reporter

gwilliams@lewistownsentinel.com

LEWISTOWN — Administrators and instructors believe cooperative education programs play a vital role in preparing students for the job market, giving them a competitive edge.

Case in point: Jayden Barlup, a senior at Mifflin County High School and third-year student at the Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology, has been working as a technician at First Quality in Lewistown since July 2024.

Barlup was placed in a position that previously was held by personnel who had earned at least an associate’s degree at the college level.

“The fact a co-op student — a 17-year-old kid — was put in charge of the control department who was still an apprentice. I thought that was a pretty big honor,” Academy mechatronics instructor Tyler Snyder said.

The co-op has offered numerous advantages for students like Barlup who are looking to kick-start their careers. These benefits include practical experience, a competitive edge in the job market, financial compensation and stronger career prospects.

Barlup and Snyder gave an impressive demonstration and presentation at the Academy’s operating committee meeting on April 10 on a project the mechatronics students at the Academy created to showcase their skills at the 2025 State Advocacy Day and Career and Technical Education Day at the State Capitol in Harrisburg on April 2.

The assembly line programming project had more than 40 different tasks completed. Barlup also shared some of the highlights from his co-op experience at First Quality.

“Having different members with different skill sets, working on different things, that’s also pretty vital in First Quality, which is something that we have a collaboration between maintenance and controls,” Barlup added. “Controls usually handle the software and a little bit of the smaller hardware.”

Mechatronics makes comeback

It also says quite a bit about the Academy’s mechatronics program that was shuttered four years ago. Since being resurrected, the program has grown from the first year where there were half a dozen students enrolled in the program to an expected graduating class of 14.

“We’ve made a huge turnaround in a very short time,” Snyder added. “There is just such a demand for this field.”

Snyder expects 17 to 18 students in the program next year. He credits the resurgence mainly to word of mouth by its students. “They made videos to show to the eighth-graders,” Snyder said. “They ran the tours to fifth-graders. Our students did all of the demonstrations. I think that students hearing other students say what they do and what they’ve learned makes a difference.”

Snyder said he’s read studies where most students in the mechatronics field are being trained for jobs that haven’t been invented yet.

That’s how much the world of mechatronics impacts today’s society whether it’s automating medical procedures, manufacturing or even food service.

“Somebody has to design the program that tells somebody else what they want it to do, and it will be the largest revolution since the Industrial Revolution,” Snyder explained.

Barlup plans to attend the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport in the fall, majoring in automation engineering technology.

The lessons he learns on the job will only make his educational journey easier in the long run. The ability to work with others in problem-solving is one of the reasons he chose this career path.

“I’m constantly learning and growing,” Barlup said. “And to make improvements that make a difference.”

Support is key for CTE

With flourishing enrollment, innovative technology due to grant funding and a reinvigorated outlook toward career and technical education with a new administration, the Academy’s future has never looked brighter.

“Events like CTE Advocacy Day highlight the essential role that Career and Technical Education plays in building a strong workforce,” Academy Administrative Director Laura Hicks said.

“Without the support of our legislators, both county-wide and regionally, we wouldn’t have the necessary backing for Career and Technical Education initiatives, grants, or even a voice at the educational table as we strive to impact the workforce of tomorrow,” Hicks said.

The Pennsylvania Association of Career and Technical Administrators (PACTA) successfully hosted the 2025 State Advocacy Day and Career and Technical Education Day on April 2, 2025, at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg. The event brought together career and technical educators, students and policymakers to highlight the importance of CTE programs and advocate for continued support.

The event’s highlight took place on April 2, when CTE Day was officially opened by Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver, Chair of the Senate Education Committee.

Throughout the day, students from career and technical centers (CTCs) across the state showcased their programs, demonstrating the impact of hands-on learning and workforce readiness. Legislators had the chance to meet with students and educators, view exhibits in the Capitol Rotunda, and discuss policy initiatives to strengthen CTE programs.

Participants emphasized the need for continued funding, updated resources, and expanded career pathways to better prepare students for Pennsylvania’s evolving workforce.

Additionally, nearly 40 Academy students, like Barlup, work 15 to 30-plus hours weekly through cooperative education placements, applying the skills they learn in the classroom.

In the same tradition as athletic signing day, where athletes publicly accept college offers, the Academy annually recognizes its seniors where they formally announce and commit to an employer of their choice.

On Wednesday, 36 seniors at the Lewistown vocational school are expected to sign on the dotted line.

Promising NOCTI results

School officials also were generally pleased with the results of recent National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) written and performance exams, which tested and evaluated Academy students on their abilities to perform the skills needed in a career.

NOCTI delivers a battery of assessments or standardized tests for students studying career and technical programs. The assessments can also assist potential employers in evaluating a candidate’s skill set — advanced, competent, basic or below basic — from best to worst.

“We do get data on every single student on every single task that is completed,” Hicks said of the student certifications. “As administration, we can use this data to look at what’s going on in the program, teachers can look at what’s going on with students who are specifically in their program to help assist the students as well.”

During their junior year, students take a pre-NOTCI exam, which helps teachers look at what they have as a baseline and what they need to be working toward as a senior, Hicks added.

This helps the Academy continue to educate students, like Barlup, who is prepared to take the next step in their career path.