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An emerging partnership in Fairfield County is creating pathways to in-demand jobs for people in the region through the Fairfield County Workforce Center (FCWC). The , Ģ����Ƶ University’s Lancaster Campus and Russ College of Engineering and Technology, and have joined forces to meet current workforce needs by offering flexible, standalone certificates in high-demand skill sets—without the time or cost commitment of a full bachelor’s degree.

“What I love so much about this partnership is that we are all coming to the table with one goal in mind: serving the community,” says Lewatis McNeal, OHIO’s vice provost for regional higher education and partnerships. “We are educating and training people who will one day be leaders in those communities. As unique as the partnership is, we are all positioned and we are all working to help meet the needs of the communities we serve.”

Adult learners can earn automation technician, mechatronics or semiconductor manufacturing technician fundamentals certifications in as little as one year each. While these financial aid-eligible certificates stand independently as educational achievements and workforce skills, they may also feed into advanced degrees—including the Associate of Applied Science degree in engineering technology, also available through the FCWC—for students who wish to continue their education.

“There are current and expected—at an increasing level—positions in advanced manufacturing that have an expectation of some background, but not a full degree,” explains Carissa Anderson, PHD ’18, associate vice provost for regional higher education and partnerships. “We are positioning students to be able to come to the program, take the five-course series for a certificate, and go out and be directly employable in the field with a living wage.”

In its first five years, the partnership has seen resounding success. In 2020, OHIO Lancaster moved the engineering technology associate’s degree to FCWC as part of the emerging partnership, and its first cohort graduated two years later. FCWC received the Excellence in Workforce Development Award, granted by , in 2023 in recognition of its impact. Standalone certificates were added the following year to offer even more flexible pathways to employment.

“A person can come get that certificate and then immediately upscale and go into the workforce,” McNeal says. “It’s helping meet the need from an advanced manufacturing standpoint.”

And the need is great. According to economic development corporation , the state leads the nation as a top producer of glass, plastic and rubber and is seeing increased investments in semiconductor, electric vehicle battery and solar panel production, offering plenty of opportunity for FCWC students to find employment in the area.

“OHIO listened to the current and projected workforce needs, took existing programming and modified it in such a way that we could address those needs in a different way than we ever have before,” Anderson explains.

“Whether it’s with OHIO, Hocking College or Fairfield County, this partnership allows us to look at how we utilize our resources and how we go after additional resources to support the needs of the community,” McNeal adds. “We’re all working across our institutions and working in the community on how we can help push things forward.”

Feature photo: The Fairfield County Workforce Center trains students for in-demand careers. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02