Luzerne County Community College works to meet workforce needs through AI training

Luzerne County Community College officials want students to be familiar with artificial intelligence, how it can be used responsibly, and how it can be used in industry.

The college is offering a new class this fall called AI in Manufacturing and is looking into expanding that into a certificate program. Additionally, LCCC officials implemented a new AI policy campuswide to help students learn how to use AI responsibly and have installed a chatbot program on computers in one of the labs on the main campus that will help students learn more about AI.

The new class and initiatives resulted from industry leaders telling LCCC it needs employees who can use AI on the job to streamline processes. Dr. Mary Lou D’Allegro, vice president of academic affairs, recently told The Chronical of Higher Education about LCCC’s views on AI and how the College is integrating it to help better prepare graduates for the workforce.

The Chronical of Higher Education, which is a national publication that covers educational issues, surveyed 800-plus administrators and educators at the college and university level about AI and published a report entitled “How Generative AI Is Changing the Classroom.” The publication used comments from D’Allegro to explain what colleges are facing.

“Dr. D’Allegro did an excellent job showing how LCCC is committed to ensuring our graduates are prepared for the local workforce and are ready to meet the needs of employers,” said LCCC President John Yudichak. “When employers tell us they need a specific skill like AI, we listen and respond by enhancing our curriculum. The majority of our graduates stay in this region, which is why we are committed to their success. We want our graduates to continue to be sought after by industry and be successful in their careers and communities.”

D’Allegro said local employers are saying they want employees to know more about AI and how it can be used effectively.

“We would like our entry-level workers and managers to be capable of using AI to troubleshoot, find efficiencies, do data analytics, and help us with documentation and user manuals,” D’Allegro told The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The new class this fall will be taught by a team of LCCC faculty members in manufacturing, computer science and communications arts. The idea is for students to learn how to ask questions using AI technology, how to use AI to find information that they can then incorporate into their projects, and how it can help troubleshoot problems.

“AI can help develop critical thinking skills,” D’Allegro said. “There are many ways we can incorporate it into the learning environment responsibly, so it enhances learning. AI is not by any means replacing the work students put into an assignment but rather it’s designed to assist them. We have a responsibility to teach students this technology because they will be using it.”

For information on LCCC’s AI class, visit luzerne.edu.