State Controlling Board approves funding for Youngstown-area joint tech facility

COLUMBUS — The state Controlling Board gave its OK today to a $50,000 grant for an effort to establish a joint technical school facility in the Youngstown area.

The Mahoning County Educational Service Center, Austintown and Struthers local schools, Youngstown State University and other groups in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties are working together on the "Youngstown Mahoning Valley Manufacturing Training Center."

According to documents, the "partners have determined there is a need to develop a shared facility that incorporates (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, welding, manual/CNS machining, industrial maintenance/mechatronics and aspects of manufacturing engineering programming."