News Releases
Owens Among Ohio Community Colleges to Receive $5.7 Million Grant for Educating Manufacturing Engineers 
Posted on February 10th, 2025
The U.S. Department of Labor approved a $5.7 million Strengthening Community Colleges Training grant for the North Shore Manufacturing Workforce Partnership, a consortium of five Ohio community colleges working to educate and train manufacturing engineers for the state’s advanced manufacturing workforce.
Owens Community College is one of the consortium members, along with Lorain County Community College, Cuyahoga Community College, Terra State Community College and North Central State Community College.
“We’re excited to see the impact the North Shore Manufacturing Workforce Partnership can make in Ohio. By helping Owens continue to educate the future workforce, this partnership will keep Ohio as one of the nation’s leaders in advanced manufacturing,” said Dan Burklo, Owens dean of the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
The award puts the North Shore Manufacturing Workforce Partnership as one of 18 similar initiatives funded across the United States; a total of $65 million was awarded in grants to 18 colleges in 14 states.
The grant empowers the consortium to scale affordable, high-quality engineering technician career pathways, expand earn-and-learn opportunities and support underserved communities in accessing high-demand manufacturing careers.
The program will expand critically needed capacity to meet the needs of Ohio’s rapidly growing advanced manufacturing center through integrated industry-education collaboration. The program will prepare 875 individuals to enter good paying, in-demand jobs, with each college committing to at least 175 participants.
Along with the community colleges, the partnership works closely with the Ohio Technical Skills Innovation Network, the Ohio Association of Community Colleges and the Ohio Manufacturer’s Association, as well as regional, industry-led partnerships.
Owens is one of the area’s leaders in training the next generation of skilled manufacturing professionals in the Department of Advanced Manufacturing and Department of Skilled Trades. Students can choose from associate degrees in CAD, Electronics Engineering Technology and Advanced Manufacturing, and certificates in Semiconductor Technician, Water Treatment Professions and Manufacturing Foundations. The advanced manufacturing programs are housed in the Dana Center, which was designed to provide highly technical and integrated training in a modernized setting.
To learn more about advanced manufacturing programs at Owens, please visit owens.edu/stem.