Lima City Schools invited the public out to check out their new campus for their agriculture and engineering programs and the bright future that it will help provide. Getting the students ready for their future is the goal of the 12 career tech programs at Lima City Schools. And with the new campus, the Agriculture and Engineering Programs now have the tools to help them transition straight from high school to college or the workforce, because that is how the school designed it.

When figuring out what career path he would like to take in life, Jahim Montano found that a visit to GROB Systems, Inc. in Bluffton helped him pick a path slightly different than his original plans. Montano is currently in the electrical pathway at GROB, where apprentices learn skills like print reading and wiring in the facility's electrical lab.

Through an apprenticeship at GROB Systems, Inc., there are a lot of opportunities in the STEM fields, including taking the next step up to a supervisor role. Katie Honigford spoke with one employee who did just that for our "Growing STEM" series. GROB Systems Inc., located in Bluffton, takes time to reach out to local youth about getting involved with their on-site apprenticeship training, and that's exactly how Dakota Bricker got his start working with, and now for, GROB.

While the hands-on learning approach of the apprenticeship program at GROB gives its participants a leg up on some of their peers, learning in the classroom is just as important. That's why the manufacturer and Rhodes State College have been teaming up for a decade to educate the next generation of GROB's workforce.

GROB has moved from making components for combustible engines to electric vehicles to looking at making components for batteries for those vehicles. Along the way, the skill sets of their workforce continue to be more advanced and so does the training needed for the apprentices that will be working at GROB.  Community colleges like Rhodes are ready to train students, whatever the need that manufacturers have.

GROB systems in Bluffton welcomed 37 new apprentices to their team on Saturday. New apprentices and their families got to tour the facility and learn what to expect out of their new career for the Signing Day and orientation.

Rhodes State College has received another round of funding to help companies train their employees. Last week the Ohio Office of Workforce Transformation announced another round of tech-cred funding. They would provide up to $2,000 per credential or $30,000 per employer.

The Bluffton Public Library getting retrofitted for reopening during the COVID-19 restrictions. GROB Systems designed, created, and installed a protective shield unit to surround the main desk at the library. This donation will allow library staff to scan library cards through the plexiglass and pass materials to patrons through a slot. Library staff says this is one of many changes that will be happening at the library to provide services to the community during the pandemic.