AWT Transformation Training Center Announcement

AWT TRANSFORMATION TRAINING CENTER ANNOUNCEMENT

It is with great pleasure that our AWT Foundation Board of Directors and staff would
like to announce the AWT Transformation Training Center publicly. The AWT Transformation
Training Center is designed to scale-up Northeast Ohio’s collective skilled manufacturing labor
force. It is important to note that AWT’s name Alliance for Working Together is representative
of our collaborative nature and spirit fueling our mission of promoting rewarding manufacturing
careers. With that said, this facility is designed in collaboration with our Northeast Ohio
educational partners including Auburn Career Center, Lakeland Community College, Lake Erie
College, Lake Shore Compact, Mentor Public Schools, and many other local partners. This
facility will not have any redundant training options, instead, this will be used as a next-level
training facility for skilled manufacturing positions and will complement our region’s current
training equipment and offerings. Dr. Joe Glavan, Career and Technical Education (CTE)
Coordinator for Mentor Public Schools, stated, “We are excited at Mentor schools to be a part of
the new AWT Transformation Training Center. This training center represents what is possible
when industry sector partnerships operate effectively. Through a collaboration of business, State
and local government, and educational institutions, AWT is leading the charge in Northeast Ohio
to align K-12, higher education, and business into one seamless pathway leading to rewarding
careers for community members and ultimately help create a stronger Northeast Ohio.”
A recent manufacturing workforce study cited that there will be a 2.4 million skilled
worker shortage in the manufacturing industry by 2025 (Deloitte, 2018) and due to the heavy
baby boomer retirements in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this number will likely
continue to increase. This skilled worker shortage in the United States is particularly important to
the State of Ohio as we are the third-largest manufacturing state by employment with over
700,000 Ohioans working in the manufacturing industry. Moreover, manufacturing continues to
grow Northeast Ohio’s economy with Tyler Boulevard in Mentor, Ohio serving as the sixth
largest manufacturing hub in the State of Ohio.
The AWT Training Center project’s target finish date will be early 2022. The facility will
be located on Tyler Boulevard in Mentor, Ohio. The AWT Training Center will provide Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-to-career programming for K-12 students,
pre-apprenticeships for high school juniors and seniors, and apprenticeship training for those
who are unemployed and incumbent workers. In addition, the AWT Training Center will act as a
central hub for AWT Foundation operations and a place where manufacturers in Northeast Ohio

will join to share ideas, best practices, and promote rewarding manufacturing careers. As always,
we look forward to promoting rewarding manufacturing careers alongside you!

If you have any questions, please send them to Juliana Petti, AWT Foundation Executive

Director Juliana@thinkmfg.com or 440-462-1995.