By Richard Curtis
Media Coordinator
Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted visited Cincinnati State Technical and Community College on July 13 to see some of the advanced training equipment that Cincinnati State has purchased in recent years with state grant funds, and to discuss a new, $100 million program designed to meet critical workforce needs in Ohio.
Since 2015, Cincinnati State has been awarded six RAPIDS (Regionally Aligned Priorities in Delivering Skills) grants from the Ohio Department of Higher Education totaling more than $1.8 million.
The grants have been used to purchase new training equipment for students preparing for careers in advanced manufacturing, robotics, building automation, cyber security, building information modeling, and healthcare.
“We need to be teaching our students on the latest technology so they can hit the ground running and be very productive,” said Michael Devore, chair of the Mechanical Engineering Technology program at Cincinnati State. “That’s what employers want today, and that’s why these grants are so important.”
Zemirah Torrey is one of the students who met Lt. Gov. Husted. She is completing the last year of an associate degree in Electromechanical Engineering Technology.
Torrey said she appreciates the opportunity to learn in the college’s modern robotics laboratory, which was made possible by RAPIDS grants.
“A lot of people here, they work for everything they have,” Torrey said. “I think it’s important to make sure working people have the same opportunities as others.”
Her instructor, Program Chair Lawrence Feist, said that graduates of the college’s engineering technology programs are highly sought after by employers.
“A recent report that tracked 76 of my graduates found they are making over $62,000 a year with their two-year associate degree,” Feist said.
As part of the Lt. Gov’s visit, he also discussed the new Super RAPIDS program, which is part of the recently passed state operating budget (HB33) passed by the Ohio Legislature.
The $100 million Super RAPIDS program is designed to meet critical workforce needs in growth industries including broadband, cybersecurity, healthcare, transportation, advanced manufacturing, and the trades.
“That’s where the Super RAPIDS program comes in,” said Husted. “Cincinnati state and other institutions of higher education can purchase the most modern machinery and train the young people and adults on that equipment, so they are ready to go.”
Cincinnati State (www.cincinnatistate.edu) offers more than 140 associate degree, bachelor’s degree, and certificate programs in business, health, engineering, humanities, sciences, culinary, information technologies, and public safety. Cincinnati State also offers a nationally recognized cooperative learning program and custom training through its Workforce Development Center.