Penn State's vice president for outreach Craig Weidemann has been appointed to serve on the Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board by Gov. Ed Rendell.

Weidemann said his job on the board is to represent higher education among people who are not directly linked to the community. "Most members are from the private sector and government," he said. "I am there because there is an important role higher education plays in the workforce."

Barry Ciccocioppo, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, said other members of the 43-member board come from education, organized labor and the state Legislature. "In a nutshell, it's the primary advisory board to the governor on the needs of workforce development."

Weidemann said Penn State has a huge role in the workforce of the state, especially with all of its commonwealth campuses. In addition, Penn State has the research capabilities to discover solutions to problems found in the workforce, he said.

Ciccocioppo said Rendell selected Weidemann because of his position in the Penn State community and experience. "He has a unique background as the outreach vice president and being a member of the workforce investment board in Maryland," Ciccocioppo said. "Not only does he have a higher education perspective, but he also has experience on a statewide workforce board."

Weidemann served on a workforce investment board in Maryland while he worked at University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

Ciccocioppo said one of the jobs of the board would be determining what types of employees are needed throughout the state and what skills are needed from them. Then the board would see if the education system could enhance or develop programs to produce these skills. He said in addition to being a board member, he would play a "match-making or connecting" role between the board and Penn State.

Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said Weidemann's appointment is an example of the many contributions Penn State makes to workforce development. "It's certainly always an honor and indicates the level of people we have working at Penn State," he said.

Weidemann said Rendell will set goals for the Workforce Investment Board and fulfill the duties given to him. "My goal is just to make higher education a voice in the discussions."