Advanced Skills for In-Demand Manufacturing Jobs

The Dana Center for Advanced Manufacturing Training (Dana Center) will help Owens expand its offerings in advanced manufacturing degrees and certificates while preparing a pipeline of skilled workers needed by employers to fill in-demand jobs and meet the region’s critical shortages in the workforce.

The Dana Center is designed to provide highly technical and integrated training in a modernized setting with amenities including natural lighting, glass walls and polished floors—a clean and safe environment conducive to learning.

The new facility also provides corporate partners with access to offices and conference space located near technical labs, classrooms and faculty offices.

This is an opportunity to host industry-related training meetings, demonstrations of new equipment and technologies, recruitment events and other shared activities that connect Owens students and the College to industry partners in a way that hasn’t been done in the past.

Explore Degrees and Certificates

Owens Community College’s academic foundation started in 1965 with four associate degree programs, including Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, leading to careers related to advanced manufacturing.

Today, Owens Community College offers more than 160 programs and certificates, with nearly 23 of those being connected to the advanced manufacturing industry.

The Dana Center features courses, degrees and certificates in:

Tour the Dana Center

Watch this video to learn more about the Dana Center.

Manufacturing in Northwest Ohio and Beyond

Approximately 2 million advanced manufacturing jobs will be unfilled by 2025, according to the National Occupational Outlook. Ohio ranks third in the nation in manufacturing, with manufacturing the largest of Ohio’s 20 major industry sectors. Locally, it is anticipated that in the next five years, Lucas, Wood and Hancock counties will have more than 2,100 new jobs available in advanced manufacturing, resulting in an estimated annual economic impact of $134 million.

With the construction of the Dana Center, Owens Community College will be positioned to help fill the significant gaps in manufacturing jobs by preparing a skilled workforce. The Dana Center will further the region’s economic growth by helping businesses expand while attracting new businesses to locate in northwest Ohio.