Greater Oh-Penn Manufacturing Collaborative was awarded nearly $3 million for workforce development

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Greater Oh-Penn Manufacturing Collaborative was awarded $2.9 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to help grow the workforce.

The American Apprenticeship Grant was created in response to the declining pipeline of qualified young people entering growing industries.

The Labor Department announced 46 award recipients, who received a total $175 million, Thursday.

The Oh-Penn Interstate Region is a development of the Oh-Penn Manufacturing Collaborative, a demand-driven industry partnership comprising the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition, which represents the interests of manufacturers in Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties, and the Industry Partnership of Lawrence and Mercer counties.

Oh-Penn encompasses the Greater Oh-Penn Region, consisting of stakeholders from two states, five workforce areas, and 14 counties, including Mahoning, Mercer and Lawrence.

The five sector partnerships associated with these counties are: Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition, Erie Regional Manufacturer Partnership, Advanced Materials and Diversified Manufacturing Industry Partnership of Lawrence & Mercer counties, Advanced Materials and Diversified Manufacturing Industry Partnership in Northwest Pennsylvania and the Portage County Manufacturers Coalition.

The 14-county region has 2,833 manufacturing openings annually, and more than 6,686 adults older than 55 who will retire from the industry within the next 10 years.