KENT, Ohio — Intel made its commitment to Ohio official Friday, but the company brought a lot more than shovels to our state. It also announced the first round of grants as part of a long-term commitment to higher education with $17.7 million to be divvied up between eight collaborations of higher education institutions. It’s all geared toward making sure our state is training the workers of tomorrow.
Each of the collaborations has one school leading the charge. Christina Bloebaum is the Dean of the College of Aeronautics and Engineering at Kent State University, one of those leaders.
“We’re leading an effort that is really focusing on a variety of on ramps and off ramps,” she said.
Kent State offers everything from certifications and two-year degrees to master's and Ph.D. programs. The opportunities presented by all these options, now amplified by an infusion of cold-hard cash from Intel, are ushering in a new era in Ohio manufacturing.
It’s a game-changing development for students like Lilia Colbrunn. She’s majoring in mechatronics engineering.
“It’s kind of a cross between software, mechanical and electrical engineering,” she said. She also has a minor in Unmanned Aircraft Systems and hopes to one day work with drones.
Lorain County Community College is another of the eight project leaders. It’s been focused on fueling the manufacturing workforce since 2010 when it teamed up with SMART Microsystems. The company now operates out of the LCCC campus. Managing Director Matt Apanius told News 5 that its entire technical team is staffed by students from the school’s microelectronic manufacturing program. They’ve been preparing for this moment.
“What does the new era of manufacturing look like?” Apanius pondered more than a decade ago. “Things are going to get smaller; they’re going to need to get smarter and somebody’s going to need to be figuring out how to do all this stuff.”
The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Two years ago, most people didn’t know what a semiconductor chip was. Then the pandemic led to a shortage of them.
“The chip shortage created an awareness that this stuff is in the products that we use every day and we don’t even know it,” Apanius said. Now people are starting to look at manufacturing differently. Students are getting hands-on experience building machines and circuit boards, knowing their efforts help to build the things we all rely on, from cell phones to dishwashers.
“It creates a sort of ‘coolness’ associated with manufacturing which always seemed like a dirty word,” said Apanius.
The grant money announced Friday will help more than 80 schools train 9,000 students over the next three years to meet the demand Intel brings to town. Demand is expected to grow beyond its facility walls.
“It will bring not only people to work at those plants,” said Bloebaum, “but all of the other suppliers and other companies that engage with Intel will also be coming so they will also need a workforce.”
It’s all working to create a classroom where students like Lilia know the future is theirs.
“It’s just giving massive opportunities,” she said.
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