Students at Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School (BAVTS) were honored April 8 for completing the Professional Skills Certificate Program. Twenty-three seniors from Bethlehem Area, Northampton Area, and Saucon Valley school districts successfully completed the program and are prepared to enter the workforce with the skills employers want. 
The course teaches soft or professional skills identified by employers as being critical to success, such as communication, collaboration, time management, and conflict resolution.
BAVTS created the Professional Skills Certificate Program in collaboration with Northampton Community College, which developed the curriculum. The course is taught by NCC instructors Anita Krick and Peg Wakstein.
“We created this program so that we could guarantee employers that if they hire one of the students being recognized today, they would be getting a great employee,” said BAVTS Executive Director Adam Lazarchak, during the recognition event where students received their certificates.
Students who completed the program came from a wide variety of career and technical education programs including electronics technology, computer networking, commercial art, social media marketing, culinary arts, cosmetology, masonry, health careers, and protective services.
After the ceremony, they had the opportunity to network with about 10 employers who attended.
BAVTS Bridges Foundation provides the program funding, which comes from the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit program and donations from businesses in the region.
Lazarchak thanked the organizations that make the program possible, including Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC). Research by LVEDC and Workforce Board Lehigh Valley showed a need for soft and professional skills development, prompting creation of the course in 2019.
“It was their Education and Talent Supply Council meetings and subsequent industry surveys that planted the seed for this certification program,” Lazarchak said.
“BAVTS is incredibly responsive to our employers’ needs. They took feedback from our community, recognized the challenge, and built a solution with their Professional Skills Training Course. We at LVEDC applaud their work and are grateful to the students who have invested their time and energy preparing themselves with the skills our employers value," said Karianne Gelinas, LVEDC's Vice President of Talent Strategies.
The Professional Skills Training Course is open to select students who are invited after demonstrating superior attendance, responsibility, attitude, and work ethic. Of 373 senior students at BAVTS, 50 were recommended for the program this school year and 23 achieved their certification.
“This is a special group,” said Lazarchak. “I believe any employer, post-secondary organization, or branch of the military would be lucky to have them.”
(Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School)