The state of Ohio awarded more than $500,000 to four different institutions to help train 410 new broadband technicians, as part of an assistance program designed to help low-income and unemployed individuals obtain job credentials.
Ashland University, Tri-County Career Center, Washington County Joint Vocational School District and Youngstown State University will receive a total of $592,215 to help train the new workers. The institutions will receive up to $3,000 for each completed credential focused on broadband or 5G technology.
The grant comes as Ohio looks to fill thousands of job openings that are expected to become available as it invests heavily in fixed and wireless broadband over the coming years. According to a Strengthening Ohio's Broadband & 5G Workforce Strategy report released in September 2021, the state is planning to pour $500 million into broadband expansions over the coming years. That investment is expected to generate 1,250 direct broadband infrastructure construction jobs and 32,000 jobs related to 5G infrastructure.
“As we continue forward on efforts to expand and enhance Ohio’s broadband and 5G infrastructure, it’s vital that we have the workforce to build it,” Lt. Governor Jon Husted said in a statement.
The nearly $600,000 grant marks the third award round from the Individual Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP), which is not exclusively focused on broadband. The first IMAP awards were granted in September 2020, providing just under $2.22 million to 11 training partners. A second round of awards was issued in February 2022, dishing out $2.93 million for 2,336 credentials in IT, web development, digital marketing and cloud engineering.
But Ohio has taken other steps to boost broadband training. In September, the state of Ohio contributed $30,000 to the Tri-County Career Center to help it launch a Fiber Optic Technician training program. In addition to paying for tools and equipment, the state indicated as much as $10,000 of that amount could go toward tuition assistance. The Center’s program was billed as one of only four Fiber Optic Association (FOA) approved programs in the state.
Other FOA-certified programs in Ohio are available through Marion Technical College, Terra Community College and Vanguard Career and Technology Center.
Ohio’s efforts come as the broadband industry as a whole grapples with labor shortages that aren’t expected to resolve anytime soon. Other entities, including the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA), AT&T and Corning have also stepped up to boost new worker training in light of the situation.
In March, FBA launched a new Optical Telecom Installation Certification program, which it said it was working to bring to 23 states. In April, AT&T and Corning set out to train up thousands of new technicians through a joint Fiber Optic Training Program.