Staff report

Students at Youngstown State University and three regional career centers soon will be able to train on state-of-the-art equipment and boost their job preparedness after the approval of $8 million statewide in the latest round of Regionally Aligned Priorities in Delivering Skills grants.

Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel and Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Mike Duffey announced approval Tuesday of the grants.

The RAPIDS program provides funding to Ohio public universities and community colleges, partnering with Ohio Technical Centers and independent colleges and universities to purchase equipment for students to use in education and training programs tailored to regional workforce needs.

This region’s awards will be used to develop talent in the fields of health care, advanced manufacturing, additive manufacturing and cybersecurity.

Youngstown State University received $103,980 for advanced manufacturing. Other recipients were Choffin Career and Technical Center, $88,462 for health care; Mahoning County Career & Technical Center, $70,679 for health care; and Maplewood Career Center JVSD, $70,021 for advanced manufacturing.

“Our RAPIDS grants offer a unique opportunity for Ohio’s campuses and career technical centers to help address specific workforce needs at the local level,” DeWine said. “On an individual level, these grants give our students a tremendous opportunity to learn and refine their skills on the same top-of-the-line equipment being used by cutting-edge businesses across Ohio.”

Equipment purchased by grantees is often shared among multiple campuses, allowing more students to get a quality education more affordably.

“Making sure we’re preparing our workforce of tomorrow to fill all of the incredible job opportunities in Ohio is really a team effort,” Tressel said. “By investing in this state-of-the-art equipment so more students can access it, and by taking regional workforce needs into consideration, this program will position more of our kids to be career ready the moment they graduate.”

The RAPIDS program was launched in 2014.