November 14, 2024
Shawnee State University’s Advanced Manufacturing Center has been awarded $1,999,092 by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to develop the region's high-tech manufacturing workforce by offering high-demand degrees and credentials that feed advanced manufacturing industries.
Through the addition of new state-of-the-art labs and equipment emphasizing robotics and automation, SSU will build its capacity to meet the changing workforce needs of the university’s manufacturing industry partners.
Programs will prepare career-ready graduates for rapid-growth fields such as the automotive, semiconductor, polymer, and medical industries.
“The College of Business and Engineering Technology at Shawnee State University is committed to supporting the economic development and workforce needs of the region through our academic programs, the Kricker Innovation Hub, K-12 outreach, and community partner engagement,” said Adam J. Miller, Interim Dean, College of Business and Engineering Technology.
Through SSU’s K-12 Outreach Programs, the programs will educate students about in-demand career paths in advanced manufacturing through hands-on learning. Experiences will include visiting the "Manufacturing on the Move" mobile education lab, building a pipeline of candidates for SSU’s degree and credential programs.
“Our industry partners have identified advanced manufacturing areas of robotics and automation as a need in their workforce to make their companies competitive,” Miller said.
“Through this project, we will be able to build on strong, nationally recognized programs in engineering technology and strong plastics engineering labs with the newly established Advanced Manufacturing Center that will add hands-on learning with robotics and automation to our academic and workforce development profile.”
This award is part of a recently announced $68.2 million award package supporting 65 projects in 188 coal-impacted counties through ARC’s POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative, which directs federal resources to economic diversification projects in Appalachian communities affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries.
“We are proud to be working closely with regional employers to deliver a Shawnee Advanced Manufacturing Center that both responds to current needs and is poised to pivot as industry demand evolves,” SSU President Eric A. Braun said.
“ARC’s POWER initiative supports coal-impacted communities' preparation for the next phase of Appalachia’s economy, while ensuring that residents have a say in the course of their own futures,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “The investments announced in this round of POWER will help train workers, advance new industries, and build upon the progress already being made toward a brighter future full of economic opportunity for our region.”
Including the most recent award package, ARC has invested over $484.7 million in 564 projects impacting 365 coal-impacted counties since POWER was established in 2015. ARC’s investments have helped create or retain nearly 54,000 jobs and prepare nearly 170,000 workers and students for new opportunities in entrepreneurship, broadband, tourism, and other growing industries.
The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development partnership entity of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia.