Lt. Governor Jon Husted visits Terra State Community College to highlight utility contractor training program

Terra State Community College received a visit from Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted on May 6. Administrators, faculty, staff, and students welcomed Husted during In-Demand Jobs Week on campus, an event focused on workforce training and education, for which the college states Husted has been a valuable advocate. Husted specifically addressed the utility construction installer certificate program at Terra State, which prepares students for careers that will help Ohio increase 5G broadband access.

According to a news release from the college, local industry leaders joined the event which featured a roundtable discussion about expanding 5G availability throughout the state. Husted said, "Ohio can't expand high-speed internet unless we have a workforce available to install the infrastructure. Terra State Community College's utility construction installer certificate program helps students develop the skills to start a career in this rapidly expanding occupation as businesses aggressively attempt to hire more employees to serve their customers."

Terra State Community College President Dr. Ron Schumacher expressed gratitude to Husted for support of the college's workforce training programs, saying, "I would like to thank Lt. Governor Husted for his continued support for workforce education. We are grateful for the ongoing support from our community partners at Kenneth G. Myers Construction Co., the Power and Communication Contractors Association and the Wireless Infrastructure Association that make this a successful career path for our students."

The Fremont News Messenger also reported on the event, speaking to the Lt. Governor, students, and area industry employers. Anthony Weisenberger is one of three students in the construction installer certificate program at Terra State. The college hopes to grow that number to 24 students soon. Weisenberger spoke about the income potential that comes with completion of the program, saying, "They make a lot more money in this utility field."

As The Fremont News Messenger reported, Husted emphasized the immediate need for trained workers to install fiber optic cables to build 5G broadband infrastructure. "We need to treat this with a sense of urgency to build this capacity," Husted explained. 

Jake Selvey is the program coordinator at Terra State and said that the program enrollment numbers suffered in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Selvey also explained that the courses required to complete the program include truck driving, customer service, utility location and print reading. He also stated that the median annual wage for utility construction installers is around $65,000.

During the roundtable discussion, Todd Myers, president of Kenneth G. Myers Construction stated, "I could hire all 24 today," in reference to Terra State's goal for enrollment.