Strickland Global Summit Convenes at Pitt
Leaders of workforce training and arts education centers worldwide are meeting at the University of Pittsburgh for a two-day summit.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Adult Education
Leaders from around the world gathered at the University of Pittsburgh for the two-day Strickland Global Summit. Current and future center leaders are meeting at Pitt, including the director of the center in Israel.
Why it matters
The summit brings together operators of the 18 centers modeled after Manchester Bidwell Center on Pittsburgh's North Side. The centers are built on the belief that environment shapes behavior.
The network includes 18 workforce training and arts education centers, with locations in Northern Israel, Vancouver, Puerto Rico, and across the U.S. The Akko Center for Arts and Technology in Israel has been open for a decade.
The players
Bill Strickland
Bill Strickland is the founder of Manchester Bidwell Center and the originator of the model behind the Strickland Global network of arts and workforce training centers.
Manchester Bidwell Center
Manchester Bidwell Center is a Pittsburgh North Side nonprofit providing arts and workforce training programs, serving as the model for the global network.
The details
Strickland Global was created to carry on Bill Strickland's model and was founded to help others replicate the centers. Current and future center leaders are meeting at the University of Pittsburgh over the two days of the summit.
Timeline
The Akko Center in Israel opened ten years before the summit.
The Strickland Global Summit began November 6, 2026, and runs two days.
Legacy Model
The network traces back to the Manchester Bidwell Center on Pittsburgh's North Side, which served as the template for the replicated centers. The summit gathers operators of those copies in the city where the original model was built.
Pittsburgh residents may see the model's influence through the Manchester Bidwell Center on the North Side. The network's replicated centers offer workforce training and arts education in several countries.
The takeaway
The Strickland network shows that the physical environment where people learn can shape how they behave and what they achieve. Those seeking similar programs can look to the network's model for guidance.
Further reading
For more on programs like these, explore Adult Education coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CBS News.
