Program aims to fill skills gap in Ohio

CONCORD TOWNSHIP, Ohio—Help might be on the way for manufacturers who need skilled labor—thanks to the efforts of the Auburn Career Center and other vocational schools across the country.

Auburn, located in Concord Township, about 30 miles east of Cleveland, has 20 new students lined up for its manufacturing program for the 2017-18 school year. That’s up from its current numbers of 12 seniors and 18 juniors in the program, according to business partnership coordinator Michelle Rodewald.

The center also has 10 adults enrolled in its short-term manufacturing program. Financial aid is available to adult students. The high school program is open to juniors and seniors, but starting next year will be open to sophomores. The change is because of a lower overall enrollment number in the 11 school districts that are served by Auburn.

High school students spend a half-day at Auburn and the rest of the day at their home schools. The manufacturing program provides training that students can use in a variety of industrial jobs.

“Industrial companies are knocking on our doors,” Rodewald said April 6 at the center. “They’re asking for machinists, industrial maintenance workers and electrical workers. They’re looking for people with a good work ethic who will show up every day.”

When industrial companies contact Auburn, there are a variety of steps the center takes to fill the skills that are needed.

“We like to visit the company and see what they need firsthand,” Rodewald said. “We’re got more companies looking for labor than we have students.”

Tool and die training given at Auburn can apply to plastic technologies such as injection molding and extrusion, she added. But the center still has to overcome outdated images of manufacturing.

“A lot of people still think manufacturing is low-paying and is done in a dirty environment,” Rodewald said. “They’re surprised to see how much it’s changed.”

On April 6, students were working on a variety of machines at Auburn’s manufacturing lab. The lab has six CNC machines and 20 CNC simulators, where students can learn CAD/CAM technology. Some of the lab’s equipment was donated by the Kennametal Foundation, which is part of industrial firm Kennametal Inc.

“When the kids get here, they know the computer stuff inside out,” manufacturing instructor Terry Colescott said. “They need help more on the mechanical side.”

Some students also were designing and making parts for an upcoming battlebots competition.

“When you size those parts up, they’re similar to parts used in cars,” Colescott said. He added that all of the seniors in the program already have manufacturing jobs lined up for after graduation, and all of the program’s juniors have internships.

Read more: Program aims to fill skills gap in Ohio