HVAC student Brailon Wheeler speaks with Lt. Gov. Jon Husted as instructor Shane Allemeier and superintendent Keith Horner listen.
LIMA — The current focus on education and job training reflects a growing recognition of the importance of specialized skills and knowledge in today’s rapidly changing world.
Career technical education (CTE) provides students with hands-on training and technical skills that are needed by employers in various industries. By investing in education and training programs that help individuals develop the skills they need to succeed, the state of Ohio is hoping help ensure that workers are well-prepared for future.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted visited Apollo Career Center on Wednesday to promote the state’s investments in CTE.
Husted said, “Employers are saying, ‘We’re hiring. We need talent.’ Apollo is providing that talent. What Governor DeWine and I are advocating in the budget is more funding so that we can expand the career centers, that we can outfit them with new machinery equipment so students can graduate here working on the same equipment they will use in the workforce.”
“Businesses are moving to Ohio. Ohio’s economy is growing,” Husted said. “That’s why it’s important for Apollo to succeed. This place is educating people, graduating them sometimes with a year of college under their belt while they’re in school.”
Husted believes Ohio must develop a workforce. Many specialized jobs like those taught at Apollo are left unfilled. Employers often struggle to find workers with the technical skills and experience needed to fill job openings. CTE programs can help bridge that gap by training individuals for the specific skills and employer needs.
Husted said, “The only impediment is that they (career technical education) don’t have enough space. They have a waiting list. So that’s why were trying to put $300 million into the budget to build career centers with the latest machinery and equipment. If you do that, get the private sector working with the public sector on more training programs, everybody wins.”
Reach Dean Brown at 567-242-0409
