Middle Bucks Institute of Technology (MBIT) is pleased to announce that Work-Based Education Teacher & Coordinator, Pamela Swoyer, has been selected as the 2021 Pennsylvania Cooperative Educator of the Year sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association for Career and Technical Education (PA-ACTE).
The PA-ACTE Pennsylvania Cooperative Educator of the Year award recognizes inspirational leaders that embody the core values of the Association for Career and Technical Education through contributions to student success, innovations in teaching, and leadership in the local or greater CTE community.
As the Work-Based Education Teacher & Coordinator, Pamela Swoyer’s passion for high school students extends outside the classroom. Whether she is chaperoning a SkillsUSA (student government) activity, helping students prepare for a competition or mentoring a fellow teacher pursuing their Cooperative Education certificate, she demonstrates her commitment to her profession. She is a strong voice when it comes to promoting customized industry training programs, recruiting new Occupational Advisory Committee members, or increasing community awareness about MBIT.
Kathryn Strouse, MBIT Administrative Director, states, “ Swoyer is committed to meeting the very real and immediate challenges of economic development, student achievement and global competitiveness by developing our most valuable resource: our students. She confidently balances her responsibilities in providing cooperative education placement services with job site supervision of students interested in shadowing, internships, apprenticeships and clinical experiences. She assures that our students are prepared with the interpersonal skills necessary for workplace success by delivering a series of professional development lessons that support Career & Work Standards. Our Cooperative Education program is well-respected among local employers. During the 2020–21 school year, despite the pandemic, 101 students were placed in employment within our community with another 9 students participating in unpaid internships.”