Kettering among 35 Ohio schools receiving grant to expand career tech program

Nov. 4—Schools across the state, including Kettering, Upper Valley Career Technology Center and Butler Tech will receive grants as part of an expansion program for career technology schools, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Friday.

In addition, a new grant will be available for those who want to add updated equipment to career tech programs.

Kettering will receive $2.8 million to renovate and add space to the current mechanical engineering lab, DeWine said during his visit Friday to the Kettering career technology center. He said the expansion will give the school about 60 more slots for students to attend.

Programs in career tech boost the many factories that operate in Dayton, said Angelia Erbaugh, president of the Dayton Region Manufacturers Association.

Erbaugh said roughly 2,500 companies in the area employ 130,000 people who make, on average, more than $80,000 per year. In 2021, the median household income was $61,938 in Ohio.

"Expanding career technical education is a major step in keeping our manufacturing industry here in this region as vital as it is today and even growing," she said.

The additional dollars will allow schools to build out space, hire more teachers and add space for another3,700 students, DeWine said.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted announced an additional $100 million for schools to purchase new equipment to train students on. Husted, who is a longtime supporter of job growth and development in the state, said he had heard from business owners who hired students out of career tech say those students had been trained on equipment the companies no longer used.

Any school can apply for up to $2.5 million, Husted said.

"They're going to have the latest and greatest equipment that they can train on," Husted said.

That equipment includes simulators, 3D printers and more, Husted added.

Dee Smith, executive director for the Ohio Association for Career and Technical Education, thanked DeWine and Husted for their work in ensuring the money was approved.

"Ohio is not just investing in facilities and equipment," Smith said. "We're investing in dreams, aspirations, and the very future of our state."