CBI recognizes the need to do even more and is expanding its services for more support of very specific needs for this region," says Paul Pierpoint, Ed.D., dean of Community Education for NCC. "What this new Performance Development Initiative will accomplish is the tighter alignment of our mission to be a central force in the community's growth with the needs of regional businesses. We have developed the programs and believe we can assist in increasing performance in the eastern half of the state." Northampton Community College traditionally markets to Northampton and Monroe Counties, but also reaches into Lehigh, Pike, Wayne and others when addressing training and development opportunities and issues. "There are fewer than 2,000 businesses with 50 employees or more in the nine-counties we primarily serve," say Pierpoint. "While the Center for Business & Industry has served over 1,500 employers in the region over the last 25 years, The Brookings Report shows that Pennsylvania is falling behind in its ability to do remain competitive, and is a strong endorsement for what the Center does. A transformation is taking place since industry has changed so much." Consider these points, as reported by the Brookings Institution in its 2003 research document, "Back to Prosperity: A Competitive Agenda for Renewing Pennsylvania," www.brookings.edu/urban , underwritten by the William Penn Foundation and the Heinz Foundation:

• " Currently the state lacks a comprehensive response to the shifting structure of the state and national economy. Moreover, it has not fully realized that in today's changing economy what matters most are education and skills. This gap in strategy has let vast trends of deindustrialization and decentralization alter the state without systematic reaction." (page 12)

• "Pennsylvania ranks near the bottom of states in employment growth. Between 1992 and 2002 employment grew by only 11.4 percent in the Commonwealth, just over half the national growth of nearly 20 percent." (page 39)

• "The lack of a skilled and educated workforce is undermining the state's ability to attract high-paying knowledge jobs and cultivate entrepreneurialism." (page 60)

In addition, the report addresses the "brain drain" happening in a state that has the second largest percentage of retirees and elderly, and it also addresses the disastrous effects ex-urbanization has had on the current employment picture: "The flight of households and jobs away from Pennsylvania's older areas separates poor and minority residents from employment opportunities." (page 61). "The primary strength of the Center for Business & Industry is training and development contributing to increased productivity, profitability and higher wages," says Pierpoint. "We recognize that this is only one aspect of performance improvement. Effective training has to be within a context of organizational assessment, technology, processes, effective leadership, etc. With our new programs in leadership development and expanded technology and trade programs, we can help employees address these issues." In particular, the Performance Development Initiative seeks to connect on a more regular basis with the region's businesses. "We need to reach out to business and industry more, and sort out their priorities on a more systematic basis," says Pierpoint. "We view this effort as an obligation to eastern Pennsylvania to take a committed stand in understanding every organization's requirements for growth." By calling this expanded effort the "Performance Development Initiative," the Center for Business & Industry believes it will be helping "to build the human capital needed for Pennsylvania's success in the knowledge economy." The Center for Business & Industry's emphasis on performance development is derived through its strong technical training and organization-wide leadership development programs that can be tailored for specific business and industry needs. Major technical programs that currently exist at CBI are:

• Advanced Manufacturing Technology

• Industrial Maintenance

• Information Technology

• Design, Drafting and Engineering

• Microelectronics Packaging

• Quality Processes

• Transportation Technology

• Safety, Health and Environmental

• Technical Management and Communication

The Center's Leadership Development Institute (LDI), established in 2002, focuses on developing the leadership capacity at every level within the organization from the individual front-line employee to the corporate CEO. Administrative and management training is provided through a program called the Learning Connection; consultative leadership development support for strategic leaders is provided through a program called Xploring. "LDI has seen an increasing demand for its services over the past year, indicating that the region recognizes the need for improving management skill sets and training employees to take the lead in a growth-oriented economy," says Pierpoint. CBI has the strategic advantage of immediate access to the full range of programs and services of the comprehensive programs offered by NCC, which permits serving workforce development needs when businesses require them, including adult literacy, continuing professional education courses and other nontraditional education opportunities. "NCC's new strategic plan re-emphasizes the expansion of services and access opportunities to our residents and the businesses in which they are employed," says Arthur L. Scott, Ed.D., president. "The College continues to look outward and forward, meeting the future using all of our capabilities to get there." If you would like to join this new Performance Development Initiative, a "Performance Network" is being established via email and employees and businesses may want to be a part of this as well. To sign up, please call 610-861- 5590 or, send your email address to cbiinfo@northampton.edu for communication of future programs, services and events.In addition, The Center for Business & Industry is located at 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem, PA 18020. www.northampton.edu/cbi .

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