Clark State Community College receives RAPIDS grant to improve manufacturing programs

The Regionally Aligned Priorities in Delivering Skills (RAPIDS) program from the Ohio Department of Education awarded a $111,553 grant to Clark State Community College (CSCC) to acquire new equipment for manufacturing programs. RAPIDS is a statewide initiative to increase the number of highly-skilled workers for the manufacturing sector. In all this year, RAPIDS will allocate $7.6 million across the state. This marks the third time that CSCC has received RAPIDS funding, with other grants received in 2018 and 2020.

Chancellor Randy Gardner of the Ohio Department of Education said in a news release from CSCC that the RAPIDS program has successfully increased the readiness of Ohio's workforce. "RAPIDS puts students at Clark State in a strong position to train and learn with up-to-date equipment and helps put students on a path to a successful career. Having just visited Clark State with Governor DeWine, I'm pleased to see the ways Clark State is a leader in workforce preparation, and that the Governor and legislators continue to support this important program," Gardner noted.

Clark State Provost, Dr. Tiffany Hunter, said that this year's grant will help the college invest in new equipment, specifically for the engineering technology programs. "These funds will enable us to make equipment purchases that will provide our students with more hands-on learning experiences that will better prepare them for the workforce within our region as well as strengthen our partnerships with business and industry as we help to meet their workforce needs," Hunter stated.

Previous RAPIDS grants focused on other programs. In 2018, a $93,131 grant was used to improve the cyber security, manufacturing, and physical therapy programs. In 2020, a $132,233 grant was directed toward welding robotics and 3D metal printing.