Columbus schools take part in manufacturing prep courses
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ten school districts across Ohio are receiving a grant for a new manufacturing career tech program.
Almost all companies rely on manufacturers and the Ohio STEM Learning Network said the state currently has a big manufacturing talent gap. The Manufacturing Pathways Pilot Program will work to close it.
As more companies invest in central Ohio, leaders at the STEM Learning Network, which is run by Battelle, realized skilled manufacturers are going to be needed every step of the way.
Columbus district lays out school closure plans
'When you think about companies like Honda and Intel who are making significant investments in our manufacturing infrastructure, those companies need employees, so this program will help create pathways for these students,' Heather Sherman, the pilot program manager at Battelle, said.
Columbus City Schools is one of the ten districts statewide receiving a grant for the manufacturing program.
Starting in the fall, students at four Columbus high schools are going to get real-world experiences through the grant money.
'To be able to credential students in any of these in-demand fields, the equipment is extremely expensive, and so we are using pretty much the entire grant to buy the equipment,' Jenny Meade, the director of Columbus City's Career Tech Education, said.
Program leaders said students will leave the manufacturing pilot program with the right skills and credentials needed to start working immediately or to continue their education in college.
Unsolved Ohio: Who killed Amy Jo Nelson? Family wants answers in 2017 homicide
'I think students don't always know that with a high school diploma and some additional credentials, they can be positioned to work in advanced manufacturing and earn family-sustaining wages,' Sherman said.
Amare Kilgore just graduated from Columbus City Schools and took some manufacturing classes during his school career. He said the incoming pilot program is going to better prepare students for the future.
'We actually got to see firsthand some of the stuff that they'll be getting,' Kilgore said. 'From what we've all seen, it's going to be great. The juniors got to see it and they were pumped. They were excited to be able to say, like, 'I'm going to be able to do this.''
The Manufacturing Pathways Pilot program will begin at the ten school districts in the fall and run through 2026. Then, the goal is to expand it to as many Ohio schools as possible so even more students receive this opportunity.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ohio winner claims $112 million Mega Millions jackpot in trust
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WCMH) — The lucky Ohioan who was the first Mega Millions jackpot winner under the game's new rules has claimed the multi-million dollar prize. The Ohio Lottery announced in a news release that the money won in the April 18, 2025, drawing has been placed in The Ironwood Family Trust, for which James S. Ausse, Esq., is named trustee. The winner had 180 days, or until Oct. 15, 2025, to claim the prize. The ticket, worth $112 million, was purchased at Giant Eagle, 4401 Mayfield Road in South Euclid. According to the lottery, the winner chose their own numbers, which were — 5-13-15-17-28, with the Mega Ball 1. Instead of the 30-year annuity, the winner selected the cash option of $49.3 million. A total of $35.5 million will be placed in the trust after mandatory state and federal taxes of 28%. The overhauled Mega Millions game began on April 5, with the promise of bigger jackpots, better odds and a built-in multiplier that does not cost the player extra money and improves every non-jackpot win by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X. The ticket price was raised from $2 to $5 per wager, however, the game was designed to have no break-even prizes, with all winning tickets totaling $10 or more. Additionally, its jackpots start at $50 million. Since joining Mega Millions, Ohio has had 21 Mega Millions jackpot winners and 65 second-tier winners of $1 million or more. The nationwide game is sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are conducted at 11 p.m. Eastern on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta. The next Mega Millions drawing is Friday, June 6, at 11 p.m. The jackpot amount is currently at $223 million. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Statue honoring Lancaster's first Black business owner completed
LANCASTER, Ohio (WCMH) — There is a new statue in the city of Lancaster honoring Scipio Smith, the man who became the city's first Black business owner in the 1800s. The statue is along Main Street, not far from where Smith's tinsmith shop was located. The statue shows Smith holding an open shackle with the day he was emancipated inscribed on it. He was enslaved in Virginia before being brought to Ohio. 'That was his way of showing you can't stop me, even this chain didn't hold me down,' said Michael Johnson, a local historian and the marketing director for the Fairfield County Heritage Association. 'You can't get much more of an underdog than being born a slave and losing your leg as a child.' Johnson found a brief entry about Smith in a history book. He said he'd never seen an entry quite like it, so he dug deeper. Eventually he learned about Smith's history as a slave. Four years after Smith was freed, he founded the AME church in town, which is now Allen Chapel. Italian eatery from Columbus couple behind Chapman's, Ginger Rabbit to open Friday 'To know he was right here, to know he was responsible for this church,' said Evan Saunders, Pastor of Allen Chapel. 'You don't even know the lives he's touched but yet here 2025 we realize he's touching a whole community with that so his legacy still continues to live on.' About two years after opening the church, Smith opened a tinsmith shop in Lancaster. That made him the city's first Black business owner, according to Johnson. 'He was pretty quick to act once he got his freedom. He knew what he wanted,' Johnson said. 'Opened door for other Black business owners.' Johnson wrote about Smith's story. But he wanted to do more to honor the local legend. About two years ago he started fundraising for a statue. It's now completed, full of symbols and Smith's story. 'For me I think statues are celebrations, they are people we should be looking up to, the ideals they represent, and Scipio, you can't beat his work ethic, his faith, his tenacity, the ability to overcome unbelievable obstacles. You can't beat that story,' Johnson said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
New Columbus drone manufacturer providing weapons for Ukraine
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Military analysts are still studying Operation Spider Web, the unprecedented weekend assault on Russia's nuclear-capable, long-range bombers. More than 100 Ukrainian drones struck air bases deep inside Russia, with explosions reported in five separate regions. The operation was said to be in the planning stages for 18 months, and a new Columbus defense contractor might have been part of that plan. Unsolved Ohio: Who killed Amy Jo Nelson? Family wants answers in 2017 homicide Anduril is building its newest manufacturing facility near Rickenbacker air base, but its vice president for strategy said it is already supplying autonomous weapons — including drones — to the United States and its allies, including Ukraine. 'I think the biggest lesson to take away from Ukraine is not just what they can do, but what's needed, the timelines on which they are needed that very much animates what we're building here in Columbus, Ohio, at our Arsenal One campus,' Anduril Senior Vice President of Strategy Zachary Mears said. And what a campus it will be; five million square feet of manufacturing space that will eventually employ 4,000 people. Anduril is the nation's newest defense contractor and it is changing the landscape for the military-industrial complex. 'Central Ohio is going to be vital to the future of what we do,' Mears said. 'Many of the products that we've designed and built are literally going to be made here over the next many decades.' After faculty overwhelmingly voted to unionize, Ohio University is suing them again Unlike other defense suppliers who come up with a proposed weapon and ask the Pentagon to pay for research, development and production, Anduril uses its own capital to design and build high-tech software and weapons that are ready for market. 'Well, we, we very much ascribe to the view that we're providing capabilities to defend the West,' Mears said. And to defend America's allies around the world with a never-before-seen business model. 'We think competition within the industrial base is overdue, and our model, our way of producing product, our way of investing in that product, is different than your traditional defense prime, and they need that healthy, healthy dose of competition,' Mears said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
