LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — Getting the workforce is the most difficult part of workforce development, but Allen County may have a solution.
Thanks to a grant, the Allen County Educational Service Center and the Chamber Foundation have partnered to create a manufacturing STEM pathways program for high school students. The program will run through the HUB at Central District, complementing existing manufacturing and workforce training initiatives already in place.
Students will learn about and train for local manufacturing jobs while also laying a foundation for a possible career in engineering.
“They'll be working with maybe some internships and some pre-apprenticeships to be able to earn the credentials and make the business connections that are necessary to go into the workforce. You've got kids that want just they want a good job, they want that home and stable family, and this is us providing opportunities for that in Allen County,” said Barbara Duval, curriculum supervisor for the Allen County Educational Service Center.
The program is designed to help students who may not be pursuing higher education find a well-paying career after high school.
“You give kids opportunities to do things that maybe they're outside the box, kids that are hands on, learners, nontraditional. Again, we still have kids that want to go to college and want to be engineers and want to be doctors. We have kids that don't have to go to college anymore to be successful,” said Jeff Hobbs, superintendent of Delphos Jefferson Schools.
Delphos Jefferson, Allen East, Bath, and Shawnee schools will develop the program and mentor other school districts to create their own manufacturing pathways. The goal is to have the program up and running by August.
