Pennsylvania Auditor General Timothy DeFoor knows the value of a community college education. It’s where he got his start on the road to becoming a state official.

“We’re here to support you,” DeFoor told a group of Westmoreland County Community College students and staff Tuesday morning at the college’s Youngwood Campus. “I was once you.”

DeFoor’s office is expanding its job candidate pool to include graduates of accredited associate degree programs in accounting business, data analytics, finance, economics, math or another closely related field.

WCCC graduates not only can seek a job with the office, but they also can work that job from home.

“All of our positions are remote,” DeFoor said. “We’re out all across the state doing these audits, so it only makes sense to have folks in those communities on our staff. It can work as an economic driver.”

Previously, job candidates for the department were required to hold a bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance and complete 12 credits of accounting as part of their coursework.

WCCC President Tuesday Stanley said the announcement shows that state officials recognize the work undertaken by community colleges across Pennsylvania.

“I want to thank the state for seeing the value of an associate’s degree,” Stanley said. “These are jobs with family-sustaining wages.”

And, just as DeFoor’s community college experience prepared him to go after his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, he wants to give his employees that same confidence and opportunity.

“We will give them an opportunity to advance their education through our office,” he said.

In addition, the department’s Intern-to-Hire program is expanding to include graduates who have received their associate degrees in the past six months, offering full-time positions upon graduation from an undergraduate or graduate program, if a candidate has worked 900 hours or six months with successful performance reviews.

DeFoor said the department will offer discounted tuition to schools in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education for employees looking to expand their education.

“We want to bring you in, but we also want to keep you,” he said.

Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes said the initiative can help address a workforce shortage and declining population in the county.

“It gives options for young folks to work for the auditor general while remaining in their communities,” Kertes said.

Diane Metz, coordinator for WCCC’s Career Connections Center and a former community college student, said she was absolutely thrilled with the initiative and its implication for students.

“It sends a clear message: The education they are receiving is valuable, and they are enough,” Metz said.

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