About Us

Dedicated to providing a quality career education!

About Us

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Our Mission Statement: Laurel Institutes' are dedicated to providing career focused education and professional certifications for individuals seeking employment in various careers in response to the need of the regional employer community.
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Our Value Statement: We are a family-oriented organization committed to making a difference in the lives of our students and employees by treating everyone with love, dignity, and respect.
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Our Vision Statement: We will be the first choice for students and employers for quality career education.

 

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Laurel's goal is to provide you with a quality education and to help you develop your talents, skills, and knowledge for a sustainable career in a strong and viable industry. We design each of our programs with this in mind. We get input from employers who meet with our faculty, staff, and administration to improve existing programs and to help create new ones, depending on the how the economy and needs of industry are evolving. This means that the skills and knowledge you gain when you earn an Associate in Specialized Business or an Associate in Specialized Technology degree from Laurel come directly from the people who do the hiring and who know what qualities make a reliable and valuable employee.

Laurel is dedicated to providing career-focused education and professional certifications for individuals seeking employment in various careers in response to the needs of the regional employer community.

Our objectives here at Laurel are simple:

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1. To Serve the Student by:

  • Offering education programs to meet regional employer demand.
  • Providing career-focused education and student support
  • Focusing on educational delivery options to meet the needs of our student population
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2. To Serve the Employers by:

  • Providing trained graduates to meet the employment needs of our business community
  • Holding regular PAC meetings to better align our teaching curriculum with the needs of employers
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3. To Serve the Community by:

  • Participating in community activities, events or projects
  • Holding regular on-campus events to help raise funds or goods to help meet local needs

Laurel is dedicated to providing career-focused education and professional certifications for individuals seeking employment in various careers in response to the needs of the regional employer community. We are proudly accredited by Accrediting Commission of Careers Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). Accreditation is a form of quality control, ensuring that institutions of higher education satisfy certain standards. To ensure we always meet those standards, Laurel is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, State Board of License Schools. Laurel is permitted to offer programs through the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education; Laurel Technical Institute is Registered with the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools (No. 08-07-1870T (Hermitage) No. 14-07-2048T (Meadville)).  Laurel is also approved to participate in NC-Sara through the PA Department of Education. We have programmatic accreditation through CoARC for our Respiratory Therapy program. 

Laurel Institutes' Accrediting Bodies

Laurel Business Institute was established in 1985 to meet the employment and training needs of this community by preparing individuals for jobs that do and will exist. We offer a wide variety of specialized associate degree programs that correspond with employment needs of the regional business community. Each of our programs was developed with significant input from regional employers. In addition to continually updating our programs and developing new ones, we support our students by staying abreast of future employment trends and by developing our facilities in a way that supports their professional development. 

We firmly believe that third party certifications are important credentials recognized by employers nationally and internationally as a statement of an individual’s proficiency in a particular field. We have certifications available in many programs of study and students are able to sit for most of their exams at through our PearsonVUE testing center. Our students are required to take and successfully complete study-related internships or participate in clinical rotations that give them valuable work experience prior to graduation. These internships and clinical rotations – which feature an excellent opportunity for hands-on, practical experience – often lead to employment opportunities for our students and graduates.

Since the days of Sears and West Penn Railways, both of which were housed in our buildings early in the last century, these two historic structures have evolved into what is today LBI. We have seen more than 2,500 graduates pass through our doors and many dreams realized. And, it is no accident that the school is housed in historical buildings. After all, we believe that capitalizing on the existing strengths of the region – its people, its brick and steel buildings, and its underlying resourcefulness – are the best way to generate positive energy and create successful career opportunities for our graduates.

Laurel Technical Institute, with locations in Sharon and Meadville, PA, was founded in 1926 as the Shenango Valley School of Commerce. Its mission was to serve Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio by supplying well-trained and qualified employees to businesses in the region. In 1977, Richard and Patricia McMahon purchased the school and instituted several changes to improve the school’s standing and its ability to benefit students and employers. Among these changes were national accreditation, development of a financial aid department, and community involvement. They adopted the name Business Institute of Pennsylvania in 1996.

On September 4, 2007, Christopher and Nancy Decker, founders of Laurel Business Institute in Uniontown, PA, purchased the Business Institute of Pennsylvania and began to operate under the name Laurel Technical Institute to better reflect the programs offered at the school. They quickly continued the work started by the McMahons and made significant improvements to facilities and programs. These included a new school in Sharon, expanded and renovated space in Meadville, equipment modernization, curriculum updates, several new programs, and additional student services.

Our growing network of Laurel campuses are dedicated to providing career-focused education and professional certifications for individuals seeking employment in various careers in response to the needs of the regional employer community!