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Rotorfest highlights aviation, emergency careers at Penn College

Newswatch 16's Chris Keating was there and shows us how the next generation is getting ready to enter the workforce.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Hundreds of people gathered on the Pennsylvania College of Technology campus in Williamsport for the first Rotorfest. The event highlights careers in emergency management and aviation.

"The idea started with the question: 'How do we bring more agencies onto campus that our majors connect with?' Whether it be our AMP school, aviation mechanics, or our emergency managers. All the organizations here directly hire from our majors on campus," said William Schlosser, emergency management instructor at Penn College.

The event features organizations, including the Coast Guard, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Pennsylvania State Police, and many more. The organizations brought out all the bells and whistles, from helicopters to armored vehicles.

"The pilots and the crew have been so cool about answering questions, and you can actually sit in the helicopters, which is cool," said Amelia Pogue, a junior studying emergency management.

Pogue hopes to land a career in emergency management planning after she graduates.

"There is so much planning and just logistical stuff that goes on behind the scenes, so I think this just exposes people to everything that is going on, like the inner workings," Pogue said.

"Emergency management is an exploding field in the world right now," Schlosser added. "Sometimes it is not known as emergency management; sometimes it is safety management or risk management. We are awesome project managers that take really bad situations and make them better."

The college invited dual-enrollment students from more than ten high schools.

Garrett Andrews is in the Civil Air Patrol. He wants to fly medical helicopters one day.

"You can't really get better flight experience than in the military, in the Coast Guard, especially because they are doing those humanitarian missions," Andrews said.

Penn College hopes to host this event every year.

Several helicopters landed on the front lawns of the Davie Jane Gilmour Center and the Madigan Library this morning as...

Posted by Pennsylvania College of Technology on Tuesday, April 11, 2023

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