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Lack of Training May Be Hindering Job Growth in NEO Medical Manufacturing

stock photo of stethoscope

Cleveland is a health care town. Three of its largest employers are hospital systems. But when it comes to filling slots in medical manufacturing, One local company says the lack of training in local colleges and universities could be hindering the region’s growth.

“You are saving lives,” said John Kasich.

Gov. John Kasich traveled to Northeast Ohio Wednesday to celebrate the opening of QED Research Center’s newest manufacturing facility in Mayfield Village. QED builds specialized radio frequency coils used in the MRI process.

The center employs 160 workers who range from high school graduates to PhDs. The research center’s president John Patrick says his company is committed to its Cleveland-area roots, but there have been some challenges.

“We have had opportunities where we could have grown faster had we been able to acquire the talent more readily,” said Patrick. 

Patrick says medical device manufacturing is a highly regulated industry and Northeast Ohio schools, so far, aren’t providing the necessary workforce for the field. While QED celebrated an expansion Wednesday, Patrick says without a shift in educational training, those expansions will come more slowly in the future.