Part of keeping industries in Richland County and the surrounding regions means providing skilled labor to fill those jobs. North Central State College’s (NCSC) “Link and Learn” initiative is designed to serve a number of purposes: design a curriculum and certificate program at NCSC that specifically address the region’s enterprise needs for skilled labor, and keep industry in the area by delivering key technical skills and educated workers.
Without a skilled labor force, industries like Mansfield Plumbing Products (MPP) in Perrysville will have to relocate, taking valuable jobs and economic stimulus out of the region. As evidence of the widespread problem that exists across the country, Whirpool has filed a lawsuit against Honda for effectively ‘stealing’ their highly skilled workers trained through their own programs.
President and CEO of Mansfield Plumbing Products (MPP) Jim Morando sees evidence of the shortage of a skilled workforce in his company, citing the need to fill 75 positions over the next month as part of an plan to expand the business.
Of those workers, “At least seven skilled maintenance workers are needed,” said Morando.
It’s a job Morando sees as one of the most challenging for MPP.
That’s where NCSC is filling the gap and the Board of Trustees at NCSC birthed the Link and Learn initiative.
“Our board went through a huge shift in its governance model about two and a half years ago,” said Director of Marketing and Creative Services Keith Stoner. “As part of that model, the Link and Learn initiative [was born], as a way to serve the goal to remain connected to the communities and people we serve.”
In response to the charge, the NCSC board set out to identify needs in the community and then improve or adjust their course offerings in response.
The trustees toured the MPP plant on Wednesday, Dec. 4 as part of the initiative. Bringing the board meeting to the facility gives the members a bird’s eye view of the needs in the region, supporting the vision of the school to supply local businesses with the workers who have the right education and skills to meet the demand.
Getting a real-time view of these types of facilities helps the board develop a trickle-down effect, and positions the college so it’s guiding resources and goals toward the places that make the most sense.
One of the ideas the board discussed in the two-hour meeting after touring the facility included a possible internship program at MPP. NCSC President Dr. Dorey Diab suggested creating a capstone course for NCSC programs to make a natural connection between internship opportunities at facilities like MPP and students’ course work.
NCSC serves Ashland, Richland and Crawford Counties, and the board has recently held meetings at Covert Manufacturing based in Galion, and at Samaritan Hospital in Ashland. As a result of the recent Link and Learn meeting at Covert Manufacturing, NCSC is now wrapping up an onsite class designed to provide specific skills Covert identified as lacking in its employees.
NCSC has the facilities, the infrastructure, and the students to support industries in the region, and keep valuable jobs in the area. In fact, NCSC is already known for its successful community partnerships: in the past, it had a certificate program to educate and train GM workers.
For MPP and other industries in the region, the Link and Learn initiative may be just the thing they need to balance the need to remain competitive, continue to expand their facility, workers and revenue, and remain in the area.
“As part of that model, the Link and Learn initiative [was born], as a way to serve the goal to remain connected to the communities and people we serve,” said Director of Marketing and Creative Services Keith Stoner.
