Although the counties of Clearfield, Jefferson, Elk and surrounding areas were once a hub for manufacturing, gas, oil, farming and coal mining, decades of economic downturns have left residents of this central Pennsylvania “rust belt” behind.
However, quietly for a decade the Brockway Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT), has been providing something the people of the area desperately need: an institution that believes in fostering new beginnings.
BCAT’s Executive Director and rural PA native, Deborah Heigel is determined to remind residents that they are assets to a new century of innovation and service industries springing up throughout the northern tier of PA counties.
"At BCAT we want you now. We believe our residents deserve more, their choice to make their home in this region speaks of their desire to work hard, to raise their families in safe beautiful spaces and above all expect that opportunities to earn a livable wage are present.” said Heigel. “BCAT was organized around the premise that where individuals are now is where we will begin to give them training in the region’s most in demand sector, healthcare.”
Launched in 2013 as a rural variation on Pittsburgh’s Bidwell Training Center, BCAT is licensed of the PA Department of Education Private License School Board and offers a one-time institutional grant to adults who are unemployed, functionally unemployed, (working multiple jobs to make ends meet.) or in transition of employment. These adult learners receive specialized full-time training that is aligned to in-demand jobs in healthcare, including medical assistants, phlebotomists, nurse’s aides, and pharmacy technicians. BCAT classes are intentionally limited to 15 students at a time in order to maximize the concept of instructors meeting the student’s where they are. Each program takes 10 months or less, making it easy for people to change careers or return to the workforce — which is crucial, given Pennsylvania’s severe shortage of healthcare workers.
BCAT’s10 year impact on the region can be felt in the lives of its graduates, many of whom managed their careers healthcare by exploiting the resources to move forward in higher education and degree attainment. BCAT’s success, which is grounded in Heigel’s outreach to recruiting, enrolling and training adults has expanded. In 2022, BCAT opened a branch campus at the Education and Training Hub at the University of Pittsburgh–Titusville. Students in their first graduating class were from Crawford, Venango and Clarion counties. One hundred percents of the class completed training and successfully passed their national certification as clinical/administrative medical assistants and phlebotomists. All are employed. Currently, 18 students make up the second cohort of students in Titusville and include residents from an addition two counties, Warren and Erie.
“Our goal is to remove barriers which in turn eliminates excuses and reasons why adult learners feel they can’t achieve. We have proven our thesis.” said Heigel. ‘
Heigel takes this mission to new heights by supporting every possible student need, from hygiene, to food supply, to clothing, transportation, childcare and more.
“Many of our grads also return to BCAT as employment partners, to offer externship opportunities for current students,” said Heigel. “They feel it’s important, as a way to help pay it forward.”
About Brockway Center for Arts and Technology
Brockway Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT) is a 501(c) 3 organization that provides job training, educational and career advancement programs to unemployed and underemployed adults, as well as after-school arts programs to youth, all for no cost to students. BCAT is the first replication of the highly successful Manchester Bidwell Corporation in a rural environment. The center serves Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, Cameron, McKean, Clarion, Armstrong, Forest, Venango and Potter counties.
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