Edison Community College…
Edison to Host Representatives from Governor’s Office on Workforce Transformation 

Rich Frederick, Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation and Nithya Govindasamy, Director of Business Engagement for the Ohio Board of Regents, will visit Edison Community College on Tuesday, Sept. 18, to discuss collaborative efforts between secondary, post-secondary and local industry partners. 

The Ohio Workforce Transformations office has been working to establish “Regional Verticals” across the state, addressing the needs for a skilled workforce. The “Verticals” refer to the stages of a student going from a secondary education environment on to a post-secondary and then into employment. Also included in the plan are partnerships with industries that will collaborate on curriculum development and program building to help solve workforce gaps. 

Representatives from both Edison Community College and the Upper Valley Career Center (UVCC), including Edison President Dr. Cristobal Valdez, UVCC Superintendent Dr. Nancy Luce, Edison Trustee Darryl Mehaffie and Vice President of Engineering for Emerson Climate Technologies Ken Monnier. 

“Shirley Moore, Dean of Business and Workforce Development, and I have been participating in the Governor’s Workforce Transformation Team since last November,” said Patti Ross, Dean for IT and Engineering at Edison. “Rich Frederick and Governor Kasich have been stressing the importance of well-defined pathways for Ohioans from education to employment. Those pathways include traditional high school students progressing through college, associate’s and/or bachelor’s degrees, or non-traditional students returning to college to gain workforce skills.” 

In April, representatives from Emerson Climate Technologies, Edison and the UVCC met to discuss the possibility of partnering to create an HVAC degree. The faculty of both schools worked to develop courses needed to complete training that begins at the UVCC.  In order to be successful, Edison and UVCC will share resources, both human and physical. 

The model of the program has a starting point in high schools, career centers like the UVCC and job centers, and then moves into the realm of the community college, where students can earn an associate’s degree or complete a certificate program. From here, the student can either move on into the workforce or transfer their credits on to a four-year institution for the completion of a bachelor’s degree. 

“We’re delighted to have Mr. Frederick visit Edison to see firsthand how we work together with our partners to define and support those pathways,” added Ross. 

Founded in 1973, Edison Community College offers a comprehensive two-year college experience to more than 3,500 students from across the region. With campuses located in Piqua and Greenville, Edison works closely with business and industry partners to help meet the growing demands of employers throughout Ohio by providing training and programs that lead to employment.