Educating Our Workforce
Technical Training
Richland County, and the region around it, is stacked with educational collaboration. Within the county, there are two local colleges offering two- and four-year degree programs, as well as career centers that have a variety of adult education opportunities to bolster the regional workforce.
The Ohio State University at Mansfield
OSU Mansfield has proudly served the region for more than 50 years as a regional campus of The Ohio State University.
The campus features high-tech classrooms, a cafeteria, cafe and student union, theatre facilities, recreation complex and a state-of-the-art Bromfield Library and Information Commons. North Central State College is a valued partner on campus.
It is quickly becoming the college of choice for many students throughout Northeast Ohio. Affordability, excellence in teaching, small class sizes and opportunities for research and internships help draw students.
Bachelor’s Degrees offered include:
- Business
- Child & Youth Studies
- Criminology
- Early Childhood Education
- Middle Childhood Education
- English
- History
- Psychology
- Social Work
- Sociology
North Central State College
North Central State College (NCSC) has a friendly, small-town atmosphere with most of the students coming from the local area. It enrolls more than 4,700 students per year and is the largest public college in the region. The population is made up of students enrolled in College Credit Plus, traditional students who enroll after graduating high school and non-traditional students who return to college to update their skills or train for a second career.
Graduates in the college’s health and public services associate degree programs lead the state in the percentage of graduates passing their board exams for licensure on the first attempt. The Kehoe Center in Shelby continues to train students in traditional tool and die disciplines with a growing interest in cross-training for many manufacturing systems, including pneumatics, hydraulics and electronic Controls.
Career Development and Advancement
Madison Adult Career Center
Madison Adult Career Center (MACC) has 40 years of experience serving students and employers in the region. You’ll find a variety of programs, including 11 career development programs, numerous short-term personal enrichment programs and customized training services for employers.
Pioneer Career & Technology Center
Additionally, Pioneer Career & Technology Center offers nine career advancement programs and career development programs in five, high-demand fields.
Ashland University Nursing
The College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Ashland University (AU) is a local powerhouse in advanced nursing education. The Mansfield campus is the AU nursing college, with 150-200 BSN completions per year as well as 14 Doctors of Nursing Practice.
Meaningful Work Experiences for Students
One of the most important workforce efforts in Richland County is the strategy to create meaningful workplace experiences for students. We believe this is critical as young people are the workforce of our future.
The Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development has partnered with SPARC Talent development, both local colleges, adult education centers and grade schools. We want to convene the educators and business leaders to understand one another’s needs and help achieve the goals of both the student and local workforce economy.
The goal of this strategy is to expose the student to the workplace, as well as the workplace to the student.
We have created new opportunities for job shadowing, internships and workplace tours throughout a variety of industries. In 2018-19, there were 250 seniors involved in school affiliated work programs or internships. Over 300 students in the county complete a minimum of four hours of job shadowing in their sophomore year of high school — in experiences ranging from graphic design to anesthesiology.
As we continue to develop this program, we strive to customize experiences for individual students, classrooms or entire student bodies. We partner with employers to create programmed events that best suit their environment and recruiting plan.