The U.S. Department of Labor recently awarded Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grants to sixty-six community colleges across the nation. Five of those grantees are in Ohio, with Northwest State Community College receiving just under $2.5 million. NSCC will use the funding to enhance curriculum in several of its advanced manufacturing programs.
The grant will take four years to implement and evaluate, but according to the school, students will start to see some changes within the next year. Best practices will be shared with the Department of Labor and could be put into practice statewide and even nationwide.
Technology upgrades, namely a “computer farm,” will lead the way for other curriculum improvements. The computer farm will house applications and software that students can access from nearly any device.