LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The Rhodes State College board of trustees approved a $400,000 remodeling project at their meeting Tuesday night.
The project will combine two rooms into one to create room to have more instructional robots in the classroom. A large glass window facing the hallway will also be added for other students and visitors to observe the equipment in action. This upgrade will benefit students who intend to work in manufacturing, and agriculture, which is becoming a more technology-focused field. Once complete, these students will receive more comprehensive training.
"This expansion is critical because it'll add more variety of robots, as well as more space to train more students because we know that demand is growing. And it's growing not only across the country, but it's especially growing in Ohio," said Dr. David Haus, dean of technology and liberal studies at Rhodes State College.
The addition of new robots means that students who complete a robotics certificate will be more competitive candidates when they enter the workforce.
"Having that variety of robots means that our students can enter any number of manufacturing facilities and be able to pick up right away with whatever kind of robot applications they're using," added Dr. Haus.
Work will begin this upcoming summer and the expansion is expected to be complete by the beginning of the 2023 fall semester.
