HIGHER EDUCATION Schools will offer high-tech training

The goal is to prepare a local work force for careers in high-tech fields.
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Two partners in a software training and consulting company have teamed up again to open a high-tech training school.
Lakeland Institute of Technology will open its first class beginning Oct. 18. The school, located at 1899 E. State St., was created by Christa Rossi of Hermitage and Marsha Bucciarelli of Masury.
The two are also partners in the Professional Software Training and Consultant Group located in the same building. They formed that company about four years ago.
It's provided one-day training classes for more than 4,000 people since its inception, Rossi said.
Lakeland is a business and technical school, she said.
The goal is to train or retrain people in the local community for work in the high-tech fields that are replacing jobs in the manufacturing fields in this area, Rossi said.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has approved one course thus far, "Essentials of the Office Professional," which offers training in such things as computer Web site design, computerized accounting and various professional office procedures, including Microsoft Office Specialist certification training.
Other details
Students can enroll in the full-time version of that course, which will meet from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. daily, or enroll part-time, attending classes from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. daily.
The tuition for either is $6,624. Books and certain other fees are extra. The full-time course runs for six months, and it will take 10 months to finish the part-time version, Rossi said.
The school will start a new class every three months and can handle 12 students per class.
There are plans for additional courses, but those haven't been approved by the state yet, Rossi said.
The school will have an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday.