YSU receives over $1.5 million from Appalachian Regional Commission’s POWER Initiative
Youngstown State University was awarded $1,513,568 by the Appalachian Regional Commission for its new project, the Connected Infrastructure & Industrial Cybersecurity Workforce Initiative.
This award is part of a recently announced $45.5 million award package supporting 47 projects through ARC’s POWER Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization, Initiative, which directs federal resources to help Appalachian coal communities expand economic opportunities by creating high-quality, in-demand jobs in multiple industries, attracting new sources of private investment and providing comprehensive workforce services and skills training.
Youngstown State University, along with partners in Ohio and Pennsylvania, will create a connected infrastructure training hub at the YSU Excellence Training Center, a regional training facility for advanced manufacturing established with prior POWER funding.
The project will develop a highly skilled workforce trained for smart and connected factories through short-term, hands-on credentialed training in OT/IT systems and industrial networking; automation and connected production, including robotics, programmable logic controllers and smart systems; cybersecurity; broadband and wireless infrastructure; and drone systems supporting connected infrastructure deployment and maintenance, asset monitoring and data collection.
These areas form an interconnected system within a smart factory, and braiding them together allows students to learn the entire operations ecosystem or focus on a single technical specialty. Training is delivered at no cost to participants and will serve 165 students over three years across Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Ohio and Lawrence and Mercer counties in Pennsylvania.
YSU and its partners bring a combined $1,168,761 in matching funds. Project partners include the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition, the Lawrence Mercer Manufacturers Coalition and Jobs for Ohio Graduates.
“Advanced manufacturing is changing rapidly, and employers need workers who understand how the technologies within a smart factory work together, not just in isolation,” said Jackie Ruller, executive director of workforce education and innovation at YSU.
“This initiative allows YSU and our regional partners to bring those technologies together in a hands-on training environment, giving participants the opportunity to build skills in industrial networking, automation, robotics, cybersecurity, broadband and wireless infrastructure, and drone systems. Most importantly, we are connecting training directly to the needs of employers and creating accessible pathways to high-quality careers throughout the region.”
To date, ARC has invested more than $518 million in 605 projects, which are helping to leverage nearly $1.9 billion in additional private investment in coal communities. These investments are projected to have created or retained nearly 54,000 jobs and prepared nearly 190,000 workers and students for new opportunities.
About the Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development entity of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian region. ARC’s mission is to invest and partner to strengthen economic development in Appalachia to help the region reach its full economic potential.