Utica Shale Academy Opens Williams Collaboration Center
SALINEVILLE, Ohio – The Utica Shale Academy recently opened its newest facility, the Williams Collaboration Center.
Federal and state officials joined local leaders, agencies and stakeholders last week in celebrating the culmination of efforts to expand opportunities for both youths and adults.
The new center was obtained through a donation of the four-story building by Williams Energy, which had used it as a district office. Utica, a dropout recovery and retention school that focuses on career-tech education for at-risk students, was the first recipient of Gov. Mike DeWine’s Appalachian Community Grants program last year, which netted the project $2.35 million to construct a new building to expand its welding, heavy equipment and robotics programs.
John Carey, Governor’s Office of Appalachia executive director, said he was excited to see the project thrive.
“You are an example for the rest of us,” Carey said. “You are the very first one to be completed. There were $350 million in requests in the first round, and we had $50 million available. Utica Shale Academy was the top scorer out of more than 50 applications in the region.”
Since its inception about a decade ago, the Utica Shale Academy has established the Salineville campus, composed of several buildings – Hutson Building, the Energy Training Center, the Williams Collaboration Center and an outdoor welding site along East Main Street, as well as the Utica Shale Academy Community Center, which is housed on Church Street.
The new center, which will be used for seventh- and eighth-grade students, includes classrooms, administrative offices and more programming in partnership with Youngstown State University to expose the junior high students to career-tech opportunities.
The facility will also provide medical services with certified health workers and licensed therapeutic behavior support counselors from organizations such as Compass 247, Avis Drug-Free World and Alta.
“What began as a conversation has blossomed into a powerful force for change, and I am proud to share that the outcomes in the areas of revitalization, workforce development and health care have exceeded all expectations,” said Bill Watson, Utica superintendent.
Julie Needs, executive director of the Sustainability Opportunity Development Center in Salem, said the center also played a role in the project by training, upscaling and providing career exploration for the incumbent workforce of underemployed and unemployed people.
“I’m standing here today as part of this extraordinary project because five years ago the Governor’s Office of Appalachia believed in creating a workforce development training center in the heart of Salem Industrial Center,” Needs said. “The collaboration with Utica Shale Academy leads back to the opportunity we were given and has culminated into something truly transformational for the region.”
Cathy Hergenrother, director of the Mahoning Valley Pathways HUB, said the collaboration has been integral in improving community health.
“This collaboration is a testament to what can be achieved when we work hand in hand to make an impact on the community,” she said. “Let us continue to work together, grow together and succeed together as we bring the benefits of this partnership to other counties and beyond.”
Pictured at top: Federal, state and local officials cut the ribbon for the Williams Collaboration Center, Utica Shale Academy’s new facility.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
