About
Susquehanna Valley Community Education Project (SVCEP) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2007. We are a group of dedicated community leaders, business owners, and educational professionals who realized that many of our area’s economic challenges would be most effectively addressed by establishing our own regional community college. We exist to bring a new community college to the four-county region of Northumberland, Union, Montour, and Snyder counties and are advocating within our region to achieve that goal.
Nationally, community colleges are the number one driver of workforce development. According to state-level data, our region currently has 7,800 high-priority job openings annually. That is, every year there are more than 7,800 local jobs that employers cannot fill.
Community colleges meet that need by partnering with employers to create targeted training programs to help bridge the skills gap, and to place graduates directly into in-demand careers. Community colleges are so critical to technical and career training that one of the first questions businesses ask when considering a new location is, “Is there a community college in the area?”
Community colleges are the only form of higher education that combines affordability, open access, and flexibility with full-service, in-person classes. Currently, the nearest full-service community colleges are over an hour away, in Harrisburg and Nanticoke. If these and existing local education options were sufficient, we wouldn’t be struggling with a consistent, significant skills gap.
Having our own regional community college will allow people to pursue a degree, gain needed skills to advance in their career, or get a better-paying job in a new industry, without leaving their current job, having to endure a long and expensive commute, or move away. 94% percent of community college graduates stay in the area after graduation, adding the value of their education, skills, and training to the local economy. By making it possible for individuals to pursue their educational and career goals right where they are, our own community college will lift up the entire region.
In 2021, SVCEP completed an economic impact study that shows how a regional college sponsored by Northumberland, Union, Montour, and Snyder Counties could be funded by the equivalent of $1.15 per household per month! For about $14 per household per year, we could have our own new community college and reap the benefits of state and federal investment that currently go to other regions. Supporting a new community college means supporting local industry, keeping local talent, and helping people live better lives for themselves and their families.
While Community Colleges are common in other states, we have a more complicated process in Pennsylvania that requires local sponsorship, and the most stable local sponsorship is the local counties, putting the decision almost completely in the commissioners' hands. Without their support we will not be able to make Our Own Regional Community College a reality! It is only through the dedicated of volunteers that this project will come to fruition, so we welcome you to join us on this adventure to make our region a better place to live and be prosperous.
Opportunities
Recent Impacts
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Sustainable Development Goals
