CHAMPION, Ohio – A new hub at Trumbull Career & Technical Center expands student opportunities, offers career exploration, emphasizes workforce development and adds community resources.
Center officials led a ceremonial ribbon cutting Thursday for what’s dubbed the Innovation Center.
“We believe that career technical education plays an important role in preparing students for the future but, more importantly, for continuing for the future of our region to continue that pipeline of workers and manufacturing,” Superintendent Jason Gray said. “The opening of this center, the career exploration, the industrial tech and the resources give us an opportunity to do just that.”
The roughly 13,000-square-foot Innovation Center provides space for industrial technology training, career exploration and mental health services. The $6.4 million project is funded by a $5.2 million Appalachian Community Innovation Centers grant and a $2.5 million state career technical education equipment grant.
“Together, these investments have allowed us to expand both the facility and our program,” Gray continued. “Our new industrial program was developed in partnership with the Mahoning Valley Manufacturing Coalition to help address the needs of regional manufacturers.”
DeSalvo Construction was the project’s general contractor. GPD was the architect, and MCS Associates Ltd. was a consultant for the project.
Students will receive hands-on training, experience in electrical, mechanics, fluid power, automation and advanced automation. Juniors will build a foundation in manufacturing, and seniors have an opportunity to focus on machining and programming, automation and robotics or management.
“Students have the opportunity to earn 111 industry recognized credentials to prepare for careers in 56 occupations on the Ohio Top Jobs list,” the superintendent explained.
He expects future additions of staff, equipment and coursework related to electric vehicles. The center, though, has a broader purpose than industrial technology. The career exploration portion of the center will offer hands-on activities, demonstrations and interactive experiences for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
Also added with the expansion is an area for offices for Cadence Care Network social workers. The center has worked for years with Cadence.
Alex Hertzer, MVMC executive director, views the opening of the new center as opening a door for students to opportunities they have in in-demand careers. It also opens doors to manufacturers to find technicians or machinists they need.
The center unites three things the region needs, he said.
“The first one is exploration,” Hertzer said. “For us, we talk about machinists and welders and industrial maintenance technicians, but if students can’t see those careers, they can’t be in those careers, right?”
Students see teachers, doctors and lawyers because they’re right in front of them. But the CNC machinist is invisible, he said.
The second thing is preparation, and the third is support, Hertzer added.
Years from now, when people measure the success of the center, it won’t be by the square footage, the equipment or number of students who come through the door, he said. “It will truly be the student who discovers a talent they never knew they had,” the MVMV executive director said. “It’ll be the parent who realizes their child has a real future here in the Mahoning Valley. It’ll be the manufacturer who hires the technician that keeps their entire operation running, and at the end of the day, it’ll be a family that remains here in Trumbull County because they found an opportunity that didn’t always exist here.”
Dominic Venetti, director of family preservation services at Cadence Care Network, said the new space expands behavioral health services to TCTC students and to the community. It creates a space where young people and families can connect with support, encouragement and the care that they need.
“It shows what can happen when a school, a community and a behavioral health partner come together around a shared belief: Our young people deserve every opportunity to be healthy, supported and successful,” he said.
Kimberly Barrell, social services administrator with OhioMeansJobs, said preparing young people for careers takes collaboration, creativity and partnerships.
“When we work together to align our efforts, we create a powerful support system that helps students discover their strengths and build confidence in their next steps,” she said.
Paula Baco, TCTC high school director, said the new center is more than a building. It combines career education, workforce development and community support services in one location.
“The goal is to make these resources more accessible to students, job seekers and employers across Trumbull County and around the region,” Baco said.
Pictured at top: Jason Gray, Trumbull Career & Technical Center superintendent.