Building Ohio’s Future Workforce
Lorain County JVS has partnered with Manufacturing Works and the Greater Cleveland Partnership (CGP) to revolutionize workforce readiness through its Pre-Apprenticeship Program. Designed to meet the needs of Ohio’s fastest-growing industries, the program aligns industry-specific training with regional and state-wide initiatives, equipping students with the skills needed to fuel the local economy and drive economic success. “Together, we are closing the skills gap and creating a talent pipeline ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow,” said Jessica Barendt, Vice President of Workforce Development at Manufacturing Works. “Our apprenticeship consortium, with nearly 50 committed companies, is creating meaningful pathways for students to build sustainable careers.”
Lorain County JVS Pre-Apprenticeship Program offers students hands-on training in high-demand fields like manufacturing, technology, healthcare, and sustainability. Participants earn industry-recognized credentials and gain direct pathways into apprenticeships, ensuring they are workforce-ready upon graduation.
“Pre-apprenticeships introduce individuals to careers while developing essential work-related skills,” said Emma Maloney, workforce navigator, Greater Cleveland Partnership. “Through GCP’s Registered Apprenticeship Hub, we are providing technical assistance to support Lorain County JVS’ pre-apprentice registration with ApprenticeOhio, a division of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services that approves all pre-apprenticeship programs within the state.”
Real-World Success Stories This summer, seven LCJVS manufacturing students completed internships at Cutting Dynamics, gaining valuable industry experience, work-based learning hours, and school credit. These internships also serve as a gateway to the Pre-Apprenticeship Program, laying a strong foundation for their future careers. Angela Carpenter, HR Manager at Cutting Dynamics, emphasized the value of these partnerships: “We take great pride in hiring career tech students and have done so for decades. One of our former interns has risen through the ranks and now leads our engineering department, showcasing the incredible potential of these partnerships.” Another success story is Gavin Seitz, a 2023 LCJVS Precision Machine Technology graduate, who is currently completing his State Apprenticeship with Voss Aerospace. “Seeing students like Gavin transition from pre-apprenticeship to full apprenticeships and beyond is the ultimate goal,” said John Green, LCJVS PMT instructor.
Why It Matters
Lorain County JVS Pre-Apprenticeship Program supports regional job growth, strengthening Ohio’s workforce, and promotes thriving career opportunities by aligning its talent readiness strategies with regional needs. LCJVS is expanding the next generation of talent to drive success in industries critical to the state’s economy.
For more information about the Lorain County JVS Pre-Apprenticeship Program, contact Mathias Hauck, LCJVS Workforce Development Strategist, at [email protected]. About Lorain County JVS:
Lorain County JVS provides students with career-technical education and training to prepare them for the workforce or further education. With partnerships spanning industries, LCJVS continues to empower students and strengthen Ohio’s economy.
About Manufacturing Works:
Manufacturing Works is a non-profit economic development organization that is community driven and serves more than 1200 manufacturers in Northeast Ohio. Our mission for the last 40 years has been to strengthen manufacturing through connection, education, and training. We have built a community of manufacturers that welcomes innovation, a community that works together to drive economic health, and whose leaders are committed to their employees and the community.
We have manufacturing members, but we also have supporting members that provide a variety of business services. When we visit a manufacturing company, we ask questions to uncover what kind of support is needed. Most of the time we can reach within our network to find a solution. When we can't find a private-market solution, then we develop programming to meet the needs of the manufacturer, like workforce and leadership development solutions. We bring our stakeholders together with no agenda other than helping each other and connecting each other to the ideas, the people, the training, the resources, whatever they need to grow and prosper.
About Greater Cleveland Partnership:
Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) is the region’s leading economic development organization and with over 12,000 members, the largest metropolitan chamber of commerce in the nation. Guided by a board of corporate and entrepreneurial CEOs, the organization focuses on strategic initiatives, business services, and advocacy to build a vibrant business environment and region for small businesses, middle-market companies and global corporations. It includes the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) and Cleveland Development Advisors, a real estate development affiliate. GCP is committed to working with private, civic, and public partners to accelerate growth and prosperity to propel Greater Cleveland towards being one of the Great Regions in the Great Lakes.