NEPA Food Processing Industry Relevant Education & Training 
Companies with a presence in the Hazleton area have cited their employees’ work ethic and dedication as a major reason for their business success. The food processing industry employs 2,500 people locally, with another 5,000 workers employed throughout the region. The area still has a large pool of available employees, many of whom already have exposure to the food industry and skills needed for positions in food processing.
Your workforce can also keep its edge with short-course, certificate programs relevant to the food processing industry from many local and regional colleges and universities.
The proximity of Greater Hazleton to Interstates 80 and 81 provides access to a population of 684,431 people with a civilian workforce of 342,672 within a 30-mile commuting distance.
Employers report satisfactory-to-good availability of a variety of skills needed by the transportation sector. They also rate the level of basic skills as seen among job applicants as acceptable in four criteria – reading comprehension, verbal communication/comprehension and team and cooperative skills.
A study performed by the Joint Urban Studies Center assessed a variety of questions on labor and performance, employer wages and benefits and ability to recruit workers from other areas. The study reported the following strengths for the area:
- 57.1% of companies report that people moving here are “somewhat at ease”
- 71% say local work ethic is good to excellent
- 86% say productivity is good to excellent
- 95% say willingness to work overtime is good to excellent
- 66% say punctuality is good to excellent
- 95% say overall employee relationships are good to excellent
- Low absenteeism