Cincinnati State received a $2.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to expand its ability to provide manufacturing careers.
The grant will be used to establish the Greater Cincinnati Manufacturing Careers Accelerator (GCMCA). The accelerator will help provide regional manufacturers with a pool of potential employees trained in welding and CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) operations.
“We’ve been talking with our industry partners—and listening carefully,” says Cincinnati State President O’dell M. Owens. “This grant will help us not only add to our offerings in areas of particular interest to manufacturers, it will help us expand our reach by providing students with cutting-edge workforce education.”
In addition, the GCMA will involve a collaboration between
Cincinnati State’s Center for Innovative Technologies (an academic division housing engineering, computing and high-tech programs) and its Evendale-based
Workforce Development Center, which provides customized workforce training to employers as well as short-term, retail training programs for individuals.
Dr. Dennis Ulrich, Vice President for Workforce Development at Cincinnati State, said the grant will also allow the college to upgrade its CNC lab with the purchase of six CNC Certification trainers. These systems not only offer comprehensive hands-on training on the mills, but also allow for authentic part programming and operation simulation. Online exercises and homework can be assigned to help reinforce the material, allowing for effective classroom laboratory instruction without sacrificing the important hands-on aspect of CNC training.
“This is important, because it cuts the cost of training, while accelerating learning,” Dr. Ulrich says. “And accelerating learning, we’ve discovered, encourages retention.”
The grant is part of the third round of the Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Training (TAACCCT) training grants. This marks the second time that Cincinnati State has received a TAACCCT grant. In 2011, it was named the lead college in a $19.6 million Round 1 grant to manage a national Health Pathways Consortium that helps prepare individuals for careers in the health care industry.
The new grant will began Oct.1, 2013 and will run through Sept. 30, 2017.
By Michael Sarason
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