Dozens of educators, business people and students were in Akron Tuesday for a roundtable on “RAPIDS” grants — funding through the Ohio Department of Higher Education for job training tied directly to economic development.
Some $2 million worth of RAPIDS grants are now being used in northeast Ohio to make additive manufacturing equipment available for students like Ashley Martof of Youngstown State
She can now get hands-on access to advanced 3D printers for a project for the Air Force.
“We’re trying to implement sustainment into the Air Force. I’m developing cost models for all the machinery that we have to work with government and industry to see how the Air Force is going to implement and sustain spare parts for the future.
Assistant Deputy Chancellor for Economic Advancement John Magill says funding plans for the program for next year are being worked out.
“We have another approximately $8 million. And we’ll be allocating that on a regional basis again. We hope to issue our request for proposals in the fall. So that the institutions can apply over the next six or seven months in that period with awards in the spring of 2017”
“RAPIDS” is an acronym for Regionally Aligned Priorities In Delivering Skills. The grants this year in northeast Ohio were especially oriented toward additive manufacturing.