Education secretary showcases Columbus State as a high-tech workforce hub

Campus News | Friday, April 21, 2023

During visit, Secretary Cardona highlights partnerships that support advanced manufacturing

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona’s visit to Columbus State engineering principles learning labs and with select workforce partner leaders provided insights into how our region can be a model for the nation, leveraging our proven method skilling the talent necessary to exponentially grow U.S. advanced technologies production.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Thursday toured Columbus State Community College to underscore the importance of fast-turn education programs in bolstering the region and nation’s high-tech manufacturing future.

During his visit to Columbus State, the secretary visited two engineering labs and met with local education and workforce leaders about the talent pipeline needed for high-tech industries such as semiconductors, EV batteries, biotech and other advanced manufacturing fields.

 

Columbus State is playing a key role in the workforce development pipeline to support two Intel semiconductor plants under development in Ohio. Secretary Cardona noted that the 2022 federal CHIPS and Science Act, which supports the reshoring of the semiconductor industry in the United States, looks to community colleges to support workforce development in the nation’s efforts to attain global leadership in domestic advanced technologies production.

“When we talk about investing in America, this is what we’re talking about. We’re talking about investing in programs that provide bridges for K-12 students to go onto two-year community colleges, to go visit the workforce and be employed but also go back to four-year schools to get advanced degrees,” Dr. Cardona said.

“You’re like the Avengers of this work, but I don’t want to count on superheroes,” Cardona said. “The country’s growth is dependent on us lifting this up. You’ve found the way that there’s synergy when we’re working together. What I saw here today is something I want to bottle up and spread across the country.”

Columbus State President David Harrison and Cardona led a panel discussion with K-12 superintendents, employers and workforce leaders about the collaborations taking place to prepare Ohioans for jobs in advanced manufacturing.

Columbus State Executive Vice President Rebecca Butler talks about the power of collaborative partnership driving Central Ohio region workforce outcomes, including upskilling local talent for future Intel semiconductor technician roles.

“This is an important moment in time for our state. We have the opportunity to provide pathways to good-paying, sustainable careers that can truly improve the standard of living for thousands of families," Dr. Harrison said. "At Columbus State ,we're working shoulder-to-shoulder with partners from K12, employers, and government leaders to accelerate economic mobility in all communities, meet the workforce needs of employers, and address the student debt crisis by creating earn-and-learn opportunities for Ohioans in high-growth, in-demand industries."

Columbus State, in conjunction with the Ohio Association of Community Colleges, is currently leading the development of statewide curriculum for semiconductor manufacturing among all 23 Ohio two-year higher education institutions. Columbus State will launch of its two-semester semiconductor certificate program in spring 2024. Students can begin enrolling in the new program starting in October. To learn more, go to www.cscc.edu/intel.

Secretary Cardona’s visit to Columbus State included hands-on student demonstration of baseline advanced technologies manufacturing learning lab capabilities that serve the semiconductor industry as well as the full scope of other existing and emerging high-tech production fields, a workforce development roundtable discussion with key local leaders, and an overview of the college’s downtown campus.

 

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