Community Education Center for Elk & Cameron Counties: Promoting a vibrant and educationally diversified region
Elk County | Elk Country Landscape of the PA Wilds
Are you or someone you know exploring a new career? Looking for certification testing? Researching post-secondary education options? Seeking leadership training? Answers to all these questions can be found at the Community Education Center for Elk and Cameron Counties located in the Elk Country Landscape of the PA Wilds.
Since 1991, the Community Education Center (CEC) has been dedicated to providing professional, academic and personal opportunities for lifelong learning for Elk and Cameron counties. Each year the CEC has more than 1,200 enrollments in credit, non-credit and enrichment courses while also overseeing more than 350 certification exams. The center also provides college and career counseling services.
To achieve its mission, the CEC partners with many area employers and the following organizations:
- Local school districts
- Education Intermediate Unit-9
- Northern Pennsylvania Regional College
- University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
- Penn State DuBois
- North Central Workforce Development Board
- PA Career Link
- Pearson VUE
- GED Testing Service.
The St Marys CEC facility offers space to hold educational programs, workshops, training sessions or meetings. The building holds one computer lab/classroom, three classrooms, one testing room and one executive conference room.
The Community Education Center has also developed two premier regional educational programs: Leadership Elk and Cameron and DISCOVER Partnership.
The mission of Leadership Elk and Cameron (LEC) is to educate its participants in the strengths and weaknesses of the region in order to develop informed, civic-oriented volunteers to help direct the future of Elk and Cameron counties. Since its start in 2007, LEC has had more than 200 graduates from the program. Anyone over the age of 18 who lives or works in Elk and Cameron counties is encouraged to apply for the program.
DISCOVER Partnership makes connections between school districts and businesses. This program is aimed at helping students discover what the region has to offer and plans programs that form connections between students, local companies and communities. Students are taught how to assess their skills and interests, explore career choices, research post-secondary education and make informed decisions when choosing their career path. These are important opportunities in the changing dynamics of the current workforce where technical skills are the new currency. DISCOVER Partnership also offers resources and programs to support students, teachers, parents, and community partners.
DISCOVER Partnership has a sister program called DISCOVER STEM. It was created in 2023 to provide additional “hands on” learning programs which include community programs, classroom activities, summer camps, after-school programs, field trips and more. The many opportunities can be explored on the CEC website at communityedcenter.com.
In addition to these regional educational programs, CEC offers services and professional development opportunities:
- Workshops and special events
- Career counseling and advisement for free
- Certification testing
- Career online training programs through ed2go
- Training partners
- Workforce development through the Northern Pennsylvania Regional College
- Toastmasters
The PA Wilds may be a rural setting where one would assume postsecondary education opportunities are limited but the Community Education Center for Elk & Cameron Counties makes them available, affordable and accessible.
