As “America’s workforce development capital,” it’s well-known that Marion is a manufacturing town.
The push for manufacturing education is growing as field opportunities arise in Central Ohio, including the arrival of the $20 billion investment from Intel to build manufacturing facilities outside of Columbus in Licking County.
With educational opportunities from Marion Technical College, The Ohio State University at Marion and RAMTEC at Tri-Rivers Career Center, Marion County high school and college students are being prepared to enter manufacturing and the STEM field right in their own community.
To meet this demand, Marion Tech, Ohio State Marion and Ashland University invited 25 teachers and school counselors from districts in Marion and surrounding counties to participate in a “Teacher Manufacturing Boot Camp.”
America’s Workforce Development Capital Program Manager Tami Galloway helped organize the program along with Ohio State Marion Director, Development & Community Relations Cathy Gerber.
Thanking the educators and companies for participating in the boot camp, she asked the educators to return to their districts and have conversations regarding how to implement manufacturing in the curriculum.
“Have the ‘Where do you think you’re going’ talk to your school boards, talk to your administration,” she said.
The goal of the five-day program over two weeks was to give teachers field insight into the manufacturing industry, inviting them to bring what they learned into their classrooms to allow their students to visualize themselves in the field at a younger age.
In the last week of July, the educators toured the facilities of six different local manufacturing companies and had a conversational lunch with industry leaders each day. Participating companies included International Paper, POET, Sakamura, Steam Turbine Alternative Resources (STAR), Whirlpool and Wilson Bohannan.
On Aug. 5, the final day of the program, 15 teachers representing each of Marion County’s five public districts as well as North Union and Upper Sandusky who toured the facilities the previous week were selected to present what they learned and how they planned to incorporate the new knowledge into their classrooms.
Director of Educational Technology and Communication at River Valley Tad Douce was one of the 15 educators who spoke in the boot camp wrap-up, explaining that through the program he learned the importance of creating a positive organizational culture where students and employees desire to learn and grow.
He also said he believes an important part of preparing students for their futures is helping to educate teachers on how to best prepare their students for life outside of school.
“We need to do a better job of that, of really getting to our students and figuring out, ‘What is your purpose? Where do you want to go? What do you want to do?'” Douce said.
Representing Ashland University, an event collaborator that awarded three graduate-level credits to participants through for the cost of only $75 through a grant from Lt. Governor Jon Husted’s Office of Workforce Transformation, Dr. Jim Powell spoke towards the end of the event agreeing with Douce.
“One of the things we need to do, especially with the younger grades is ask, “What does your future look like? What do you want to do? What do you want to be?” Powell said.
Galloway closed the event thanking the educators, partners and companies for participating, wishing the teachers a great start to the school year.
The next event introducing younger students to manufacturing will be the 2022 Made in Marion Expo on Oct. 18.
Story by: Sophia Veneziano (740) 564 – 5243 ∣ [email protected]