Southwest Ohio area high school seniors experience the first manufacturing ops technical school program of its kind in Ohio.
[BATAVIA, OH] August 15, 2024 – It’s back-to-school season and Cincinnati-based Milacron has reason to celebrate! A leading manufacturer of plastics technology and processing, Milacron has joined forces with Grant Career Center for the second academic year on their Advanced Manufacturing Academy (AMA), a program that provides area high school seniors with comprehensive training in advanced manufacturing.
This marks the second academic year Milacron and Grant have joined forces to bring the AMA to Clermont County. This past Spring, the 2024 class graduated 14 area seniors, four of which were hired immediately at Milacron’s global headquarters facility in Batavia.
This unique program, located at the technical school in Bethel, is specifically designed to create an employee pipeline, offering students the opportunity to secure future employment in advanced manufacturing, without the need for them to leave their school campus their senior year. According to the Clermont Country Chamber of Commerce, no other technical school in the state of Ohio has an in-house company-sponsored program of this kind.
By integrating classroom instruction with live training on industry equipment, the work-based learning experience equips students with the technical expertise and industry-specific competencies to jumpstart their success in the field of manufacturing, specifically plastics processing. Grant students follow a curriculum in their core program of study, core studies requirements for graduation, as well as AMA manufacturing-based classwork that includes hands-on lab.
“The recent AMA Grant graduates that were immediately brought on board with Milacron this past Spring are thriving,” said Jodi Wittmann, Senior Human Resources Director. “They were able to come onboard within our manufacturing plant operations and hit the ground running!”
Both Milacron and Grant are eager to kick off the upcoming school year this week with not only a new instructor that brings nearly 30 years of manufacturing experience (11 years with Milacron), but also more hands-on-training built into the curriculum with an additional injection molding machine being added to the lab space at the school that already houses a Milacron all-purpose Q-Series plastics processing machine.
“The addition of an all-electric Roboshot to our AMA lab space delivers greater depth to our students’ manufacturing experience,” said Mike Parry, Superintendent for Grant Career Center. “This machine platform is widely used in the medical molding industry for small-part plastics, like Covid test kits, syringes, and vials. The machine addition opens up a whole new world for our Advanced Manufacturing students to explore as they build their portfolio before entering the workforce.”
Although the original Q-Series injection molding machine was donated to the program as a part of the initial curriculum through Milacron, Parry explains that through additional grant money from the state of Ohio that the school was awarded earlier in the calendar year, the purchase of an additional machine for the AMA lab space was necessary to continue to expand upon the interest level they received in the manufacturing space. “The trend to learn a skilled trade is on the upward swing again, and up until two years ago, we had nothing to offer in the manufacturing space,” he said. “We hope to graduate even more students in 2025 than can dive straight into a successful career at Milacron.”
The company has a legacy in the Greater Cincinnati area of being a lifelong employer. Between its Batavia headquarters facility and the Mount Orab manufacturing site, the plastics processing solutions leader employs nearly 1,000 associates in the Tristate area that range from construction and welding tradespeople to machining experts and engineers. Many of these employees are approaching retirement, some after upwards of 40 or even 50 years of service to the company. The AMA at Grant is just one example of how Milacron has adopted non-traditional initiatives to help offset gaps with qualified skilled labor.
“Our purpose at Milacron, to shape what matters for tomorrow, is executed with intention through our Grant Career Center partnership,” said Mac Jones, President of Milacron. “AMA students are the Milacron employees that will shape our plastics processing of the future.”
Milacron’s partnership with Grant commenced nearly a decade ago with the goal of educating area students in manufacturing and the trades through plant tours at the company, job shadowing opportunities, and much more. Then, in late 2022 the opportunity to advance their partnership through a yearlong capstone project for the 2023/2024 academic year was agreed upon when the program/lab space became vacant. Given the importance of critical skilled workforce experience in the trade industry and manufacturing more specifically, Milacron moved swiftly to get the necessary specifics for the program in place in 2023. That transformation continues for the 2024/2025 academic school year.
About Milacron
Milacron (www.milacron.com) is a global industry and technology leader in the manufacturing of injection molding and extrusion systems. Milacron also produces and provides machinery, auxiliaries, and components that complement its plastics processing machines and systems. The company’s 1,900 associates worldwide collaborate to provide a diverse range of products across various plastics applications in industries such as automotive, construction, medical, telecommunications, material handling, packaging, and much more. Milacron holds longstanding relationships with more than 27,000 global customers across North America and India, as well as coverage in Europe and in many emerging markets, including Central/South America. Milacron is an Operating Company of Hillenbrand (NYSE: HI), an industrial company operating in over 100 countries serving a wide variety of industries across the world. www.hillenbrand.com
About Grant Career Center
Grant Career Center, located in Bethel, Ohio, is a leading educational institution that prepares students for success in the workforce and for further education in college. With a rich history of over 50 years, Grant Career Center has been providing high-quality training to students from Clermont County. Grant Career Center takes pride in its innovative partnerships with prominent organizations such as Milacron, Child-Focus, University of Cincinnati, and the Brown Clermont Adult Career Campus. These partnerships provide students with unique opportunities for hands-on learning, internships, and real-world experience in their chosen fields. By combining academic rigor with practical skills training, Grant Career Center equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for success in today’s ever-changing job market. Graduates of Grant Career Center are well-prepared for both immediate employment and continued education at the college level. Grant Career Center is committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment where students can thrive academically, professionally, and personally. Through its comprehensive programs, partnerships, and dedication to excellence, Grant Career Center continues to shape the future of Clermont County’s workforce. Grant Career Center, where Clermont County’s Students “Choose to be Great!” www.grantcareer.com.
CONTACT
Melanie Murray, Communications Specialist
[email protected] / 513.300.6020
