Pennsylvania Commission on Education and Economic Competetiveness

Program Description: 

The Pennsylvania Commission on Education and Economic Competitiveness (CEEC) is a bipartisan panel tasked with redesigning the Pennsylvania state education system to better align with the needs of Pennsylvania’s workforce. The 18-month commission was founded in 2022, further defined in 2023, and will present their results in the 2026 legislative session. The commission doesn’t just include legislators: it brings together stakeholders in education, business and labor as well.

Pennsylvania’s aging workforce is expected to decline at a rate of .7 percent per year. The retirement-age population is expected to expand by 2-4% annually. And Pennsylvania’s workforce is in danger of facing job losses due to automation and AI. This program is intended to provide Pennsylvanians with the skills for “jobs of the future, not the past.”

Ultimately, the program aims to increase supports for early childhood education, improve equitable access to education, and create a leadership development system for K-12 schools. It hopes to form community partnerships with the education system, better recruit and retain teaching staff, and build data infrastructure to better allow Pennsylvania to track education progress on a state-level.

Lastly, the program hopes to build on existing school district partnerships. Five school districts in Berks County currently parner with Kutztown State University to place prospective teachers in classrooms in district schools during their first year of college. These students are mentored by experienced teachers for all four years of their college degree, improving the teacher pipeline. Other programs that they hope to expand include a Principal Pathway Program, which hopes to train aspiring principals, and dual enrollment programs.

Impact:

The committee hopes to develop a long-term education plan that will build a resilient workforce as automation continues to change Pennsylvania’s job ecosystem. 

Population Served: 

Students across Pennsylvania. 

Learn more here.

Page last updated in August 2026