GRAFTON, Ohio — A Northeast Ohio high school is creating its own talent pipeline for one of Ohio’s fastest-growing industries. The micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) course at Midview High School is among the first in the state.
“When I heard we were getting it here and trying it hands-on, I was really excited,” said Gabriel Borror.
The Midview High School senior is one of seven students enrolled in the first MEMS course offered in the school’s engineering program. Students have been spending the term learning to solder the tiny components on resistors and capacitors, using professional-grade equipment.
“We’re going to solder and solder and solder until you’re a professional at it,” said engineering instructor Kevin Gardella, who teaches the class.
He explained the students would leave the course with both college credit and a professional soldering certification, which he described as the “gold standard” in the microelectronics and semiconductor industry.
“This is a class that can propel you right into the workforce right from high school and there’s not many classes that can do that,” said Midview Schools superintendent Dr. Bruce Willingham.
Willingham and the assistant superintendent were inspired to bring the MEMS class to the high school after seeing a similar program at Lorain County Community College. The campus features a professional “cleanroom” required for the sterile manufacturing of microtechnology and offers both associate’s and bachelor’s degrees.
LCC has been working with Midview to create its curriculum and a smaller-scale facility similar to the college’s cleanroom.
The MEMS program at LCC, which started a decade ago, has garnered growing interest as the industry has grown in Ohio. Intel announced it picked Ohio for the new site in January 2022 and construction started this fall. The first factory is expected to be completed by 2025.
Around Northeast Ohio and across the state, microtechnology skills are already in high demand.
“We know to meet the demands of Intel and all those companies in the supply chain, we have to 4X [quadruple] the number of people we’re producing. So we need to start at the K-12 level,” said Courtney Tenhover, the LCC program director for the microtechnology and semiconductor industry.
She said employers are eager to hire workers with technical knowledge and experience with industry procedures. The Midview MEMS instructor said the course will likely open up career opportunities.
Gardella laughed, “I hope my students are able to go right into the workforce making more money than I currently make.”
Borror said he was already interested in pursuing a STEM-related career and believes he found his passion in the MEMS course. He now plans to pursue a microelectronic manufacturing degree at LCCC.
“It’s just awesome being able to get hands-on this early,” he said. “I feel like getting this experience now, being able to get in the environment of it, will just give me a great headstart.”
Midview Schools recently applied for a $2 million grant from the state. If awarded, the district plans to use the money to expand and upgrade its MEMS facility and program.
