LCCC helps fuel the Silicon Heartland, the future of manufacturing. | So Good News

For nearly 60 years, Lorain County Community College has been a trusted place for our community members and employers to prepare for the jobs of the future. We are the number one training location for Lorain County first responders. Half of Lorain County families have someone who has attended a class at LCCC or University Partnership. After graduation, 90% of LCCC graduates live and work in Northeast Ohio, earning career success in our region.

Our graduates find local jobs by design, as LCCC partners with more than 700 local employers to make students work-ready the day they graduate. Our links with local industries are deep and wide, but perhaps the longest ties are in the manufacturing industry. Lorain County’s roots run deep in the manufacturing sector. Many generations Proud people in our region have worked to create and manufacture the most sought-after products in the country and around the world.

LCCC was established in 1963; Productivity education and training is one of the first areas of focus. Over time, manufacturing improved and LCCC’s partnership with industry deepened. Ohio’s manufacturing sector remains at an exciting tipping point. Intel’s new state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing facility represents Ohio’s greatest economic opportunity. Its presence will drive unprecedented supply chain growth across the state, including Lorain County. Not just a company coming to Ohio; It’s an entire industry embedded in Ohio. It’s the creation of the Silicon Heartland, similar to the arrival of steel and auto steel on the shores of Lake Erie.

Long before Intel’s historic groundbreaking ceremony, LCCC has been preparing for this moment. For more than a decade, LCCC has been developing unique expertise in semiconductor and microelectronics manufacturing education and training. LCCC offers Ohio’s only associate of applied science and applied science degrees in microelectronics manufacturing, preparing students for work in this exploding semiconductor industry. Both programs boast a 100% job placement rate for our graduates; In part because of the innovative income and learn-to-learn paid internship opportunities in the curriculum, working with more than 80 employers in Northeast Ohio. Because Intel’s presence helps bring this Silicon Heartland to life; The career opportunities of our graduates will increase.

As wonderful as it all seems, We are ready for this moment because LCCC is designed to do what makes community colleges unique – partnering with employers, anticipating future talent needs and responding quickly to meet them. This dynamic gives our residents the opportunity today to train and excel in the jobs of tomorrow.

LCCC’s innovative Bachelor of Applied Science in MEMS and the college’s new Bachelor of Applied Science in Smart Industrial Automated Systems Engineering Technology will serve as a core curriculum for the training needs of our Silicon Heartland. Both build on the success of LCCC’s long-standing university partnership. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the University Partnership offers more than 100 bachelor’s and master’s degrees from 15 Ohio colleges. These degree programs are offered on the LCCC campus and save students an average of 70% on the cost of a degree. It’s no wonder LCCC University Partnership has become a popular higher education choice for Lorain County residents. Since 2000, Lorain County has seen a 77% increase in bachelor’s degrees, with 89% of those earning credits from LCCC.

In order to secure the momentum of the University Partnership and all of LCCC’s programs and services; Voters are asked to support Proposition 10 at the polls on November 8th. Issue 10 is a renewal levy and will not increase taxes. Issue 10 is an investment in the future of our community. It is an investment that drives this critical change that is happening here on a large scale and will shape future generations.

Marcia J. Ballinger, Ph.D. is president of Lorain County Community College. The Morning Journal welcomes opinion column submissions; Only then will we be able to broadcast all kinds of problems. To be considered for publication, send to [email protected]