YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – The Youngstown area is always looking for an edge to attract businesses, and Monday added another element with the opening of what is known as the Excellence Training Center.
It’s on the corner of Fifth and Commerce in downtown Youngstown. The plan is to train people for the manufacturing professions of today and tomorrow.
So many people were involved in the Excellence Training Center that two ligament cuts were necessary. The first for the educators and the second for the politicians who provided the money.
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But the person responsible for moving the center of the project forward and making sure it was funded was Youngstown State President Jim Tressel, who built on an idea developed by faculty members at YSU six years ago.
“We want to create the answer to the future workforce, the future of manufacturing,” said Tressel.
“Industrial maintenance is one of the things that students can do in a very short time – a couple of weeks, a month. Get nine industry IDs and get a high paying job fast. That’s our goal, ”said Justin Starr, or Eastern Gateway.
First News toured the area where the students will study automation and robotics. In the case of ETC, the term “student” refers to a wide range of people.
“You don’t have to be a graduate student to earn these certificates. This is one of the beauties of the Excellence Training Center. It’s a k-gray situation, as I call it, ”said David Sipusic, ETC Executive Director.
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And not only YSU is involved. The Eastern Gateway Community College logo is also on the front facade.
“You have two organizations that actually come together as brothers, as sisters, as families. They don’t compete against each other. You are for the good of the community, ”said Senator Mike Rulli.
Youngstown City Schools students participating in a Red Zone summer program peered over the balcony on the second floor.
“The center will be a place where students, from young people exploring their career potential to displaced workers seeking a fresh start, will hone their skills and expand their knowledge,” said Michael Geoghegan, president of Eastern Gateway.
Tressel thanked lots of people on Monday, but one person he highlighted was former Ohio Budget Director Tim Keen, who, according to Tressel, believed the project from the start and helped raise much of the money to get it to implement.
