YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Eastern Gateway Community College plans to establish a new machining and welding training center in the Mahoning Valley, helped along by a $2.5 million direct federal grant and an additional $1 million in federal monies through a statewide consortium, a spokeswoman said today.
"It's going to focus on a shared facility potentially with Youngstown State University and other career centers as they choose to participate," reported Ann Koon, Eastern Gateway’s director of public information.
Eastern Gateway received $2.49 million as part of the $450 million Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training competitive grant program, the office of Vice President Joe Biden announced this morning.
The grants provide community colleges and other eligible institutions of higher education with funds to partner with employers to expand and improve their ability to deliver education and career training programs. The programs are aimed at helping job seekers get the skills they need for jobs in industries such as information technology, advanced manufacturing, health care and energy.
"We must continue to invest in these types of partnerships, which successfully train American workers," Biden said in a statement announcing the grants this morning. "That's why the president's 2015 budget proposes a $6 billion Community College Job-Driven Training Fund to ensure that we are sufficiently investing in partnerships between our nation's community colleges and employers to ensure all Americans have access to workplace-relevant skills and training."
Koon said the federal grant application was prepared by Jerry Klinesmith, Eastern Gateway's dean of business, engineering and information technology, and was awarded in conjunction with the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition, whose members would act as a private partner in the venture.
“This is another step toward building capacity and filling the skills gap that we’ve identified in manufacturing career pathways,” remarked Jessica Borza, MVMC sector partnership coordinator.
The grant will provide resources to help fill gaps in equipment and other areas in advanced machining and welding programs, she added.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown said that the program would help those who have lost their job and are looking for additional training to reenter the workforce.
“The loss of a job can be a devastating experience,” Brown said in a statement emailed late this morning. “Ohioans who work hard and play by the rules should not be left to struggle when they lose their job through no fault of their own. This new funding will help Eastern Gateway Community College develop curriculum and hands-on training programs that prepare jobless workers for careers in the manufacturing field.”
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-13, agreed that the funds are critical to improving the opportunity for workers to be retrained for new positions. "This is wonderful news for Eastern Gateway," Ryan said. "The workers in our state have been hit hard over the years by job loss due to unfair trade and a weak economy. These men and women deserve a hand up and an opportunity to develop the additional skills needed to remain employable in an ever-evolving manufacturing sector."
The federal money would be used to purchase new machining equipment to support credit programs slated for the fall of 2015, Koon reports. "The grant will help pay for the facility, equipping it, and hiring people," she said.
Eastern Gateway is looking to move into an existing building in the Mahoning Valley, but a site has not been determined yet. "They're looking at a few locations," she says. The new center would require two full-time and four-part time employees.
Eastern Gateway will also receive $1 million from the same program as part of a $15 million grant to Lorain County Community College, which is overseeing a state consortium grant, she said.
The additional $1 million in funding would be used to add a welding lab to the facility, she said.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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