{"id":147809,"date":"2026-02-24T12:10:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T17:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=147809"},"modified":"2026-02-24T12:10:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T17:10:23","slug":"bethlehem-business-community-to-hear-how-schools-are-building-the-future-workforce-at-2026-state-of-the-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=147809","title":{"rendered":"Bethlehem Business Community to Hear How Schools Are Building the Future Workforce at 2026 State of the Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bethlehem Business Community to Hear How Schools Are Building the Future Workforce at 2026 State of the Schools<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Bethlehem, PA – February 24, 2026 –<\/strong>\u00a0The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Bethlehem Area School District, will host the 2026 State of the Schools on Thursday, March 12, at ArtsQuest, bringing together business, education, and community leaders for an important conversation on workforce development, career pathways, and the future talent pipeline.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s program will highlight how the Bethlehem Area School District is preparing students for real-world success through workforce readiness, hands-on learning, and career-connected education aligned with industry needs. The event emphasizes the critical connection between education and the regional economy, demonstrating how today\u2019s students are becoming tomorrow\u2019s workforce.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bethlehem Area School District and the broader Bethlehem community have vested interests in the preparedness of Liberty High School and Freedom High School graduates,\u201d said Dr. Jack Silva, Superintendent of Schools, Bethlehem Area School District. \u201cCareer readiness comes when students are working on a post-high school plan before they graduate. The BASD has organized coursework and community-based experiences into career pathways so that students are familiar, interested, and ready for what comes next. We are grateful to have so many community partners helping to shape and support our students.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event helps employers see how the future workforce is being built right here in our schools,\u201d said Tammy Wendling of the Bethlehem Chamber. \u201cState of the Schools brings our business community together to hear directly how students are gaining the skills and experiences that will lead them into local careers. That connection between education and industry is essential to retaining talent in the Lehigh Valley and supporting a strong regional economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each year, the State of the Schools event attracts employers, educators, civic leaders, and community partners who share a common goal: preparing the next generation for meaningful careers and supporting a strong regional workforce.<\/p>\n

EVENT DETAILS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Thursday, March 12, 2026<\/p>\n

ArtsQuest, Fred Banko Alehouse – Red Theater<\/p>\n

Doors Open: 7:00 AM, networking and light breakfast<\/p>\n

Program Begins: 8:00 AM<\/p>\n

Registration:\u00a0https:\/\/bit.ly\/4akqKpr<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Sponsorship opportunities remain available for organizations interested in aligning with workforce development, education, and community impact.<\/p>\n

Please contact\u00a0EvelynC@Lehighvalleychamber.org<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS<\/strong><\/p>\n

GOLD SPONSORS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alloy5 Architecture<\/a><\/p>\n

Capital Blue Cross<\/a><\/p>\n

SILVER SPONSORS<\/strong><\/p>\n

ArtsQuest<\/a><\/p>\n

BSI Corporate Benefits<\/a><\/p>\n

St. Luke’s University Health Network<\/a><\/p>\n

BRONZE SPONSORS<\/strong><\/p>\n

East Stroudsburg University<\/a><\/p>\n

Service Electric Business<\/a><\/p>\n

Servpro Team Davis<\/a><\/p>\n

TWG Security<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0The mission of the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce is to advocate, support, and advance the business and community interests of Bethlehem through inclusive, collaborative, and innovative practices that encourage sustainable economic growth, community vitality, and quality of life.<\/em><\/p>\n

About the Chamber:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0The mission of The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce is to improve the economy and quality of life in the Lehigh Valley Metropolitan Area.\u00a0We accomplish this through business-to-business networking events and marketing products, affinity programs and exclusive, money saving member benefits, training programs, government affairs initiatives and public policy advocacy, and community development enterprises.\u00a0With nearly 5,000 members who employ more than 200,000, the Chamber is the largest in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in the top ten nationwide.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nBethlehem Chamber of Commerce<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bethlehem Business Community to Hear How Schools Are Building the Future Workforce at 2026 State of the Schools Bethlehem, PA – February 24, 2026 –\u00a0The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce, in … Continue reading Bethlehem Business Community to Hear How Schools Are Building the Future Workforce at 2026 State of the Schools<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":147810,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5717,69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bethlehem","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/basd-26.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147809"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=147809"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":147811,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147809\/revisions\/147811"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/147810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=147809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=147809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=147809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}