Penn State officials are currently discussing adding classes to keep up with the Pennsylvania gaming industry, which is planning on providing more than 17,000 new jobs.

"We are in the process of expanding our curriculum to include 15 credits of gaming management in the management of full-service gaming," said Pete Yersin, instructor in Penn State's School of Hospitality Management.

Yersin, who teaches Penn State's only current casino-related course -- Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management 456, casino operations management -- said he would encourage his students to seek out these jobs.

"The practical business model of gaming does provide many opportunities for hospitality and other services, meaning marketing, finance, operators of personnel, retail services," he said.

Doug Harbach, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) spokesman, said there are job openings in all aspects of the gaming industry and industries that support it.

"At the casinos, there are anything from jobs on the lower-wage scale such as in food service, maintenance and even jobs such as valets," he said. "They will range upwards to slot machine technicians, marketing positions and other management positions."

Sen. John Wozniak, D-Cambria, said in a press release that the PGCB would provide 17,700 new jobs. Kalisha DeVan, public information writer for Wozniak, said there is such a large number of jobs because the gaming industry in Pennsylvania is just starting out.

"With any new type of job, there will be many available," she said.

DeVan said she would urge college students to explore the job opportunities.

"I would definitely recommend it because starting out, it's hard to find a job," she said. "It can give people a good career start if they're interested in the gaming industry."

The jobs are of interest to college graduates partly because of the industry's new emphasis on technology, Harbach said. A growing number of schools are providing more training to students interested in the gaming industry, he added.

"More and more schools are pursuing certain educational tracks that would prepare students that are interested in working in the gaming industry," he said. "I think there's been an exploration for students that are looking within food and hospitality in regards to gaming positions."

The career prospects provided by the gaming industry can lead to other opportunities, Yersin said.

"Gaming is still expanding throughout the country," Yersin said. "Opportunities that exist in one gaming venue can then be transferred to another."

Harbach also said careers within the gaming industry could lead to other opportunities.

"It's absolutely a growing industry, not only in Pennsylvania. It continues to grow across the country," Harbach said. "Grads that are able to obtain a position in Pennsylvania are able to make themselves more marketable in almost every state in the country as some form of legalized gaming is introduced."

Interested students should consult the PGCB Web site for career opportunities, Harbach said.

"We cannot, under regulation, facilitate someone getting a job at a casino," he said. "But what we can do is make it as easy as possible for an individual to find information on jobs at these facilities."