EDUCATION & TALENT
We’re a maker community. We invent, we build and we turn ideas into reality. Our students do amazing things, and with local post-graduate colleges, universities and career centers, they’re finding jobs right here! When it comes to quality of life, education and cutting-edge health care, the Greater Lima Region has it all! Come and discover for yourself our Real American Heart!
Enhancing education is a priority of Lima/Allen County. Our community has outstanding educational programs for all career paths, including skilled trades. We offer skill trades training programs at both the vocational level and with full apprentice programs.
Apollo
For over 45 years, Apollo Career Center has been training high school and adult students in careers that have high employment opportunities in this region. Responsive to area business and industry needs, Apollo customizes and upgrades skills training in its continuing commitment to provide a skilled workforce.
High school students from 11 area high schools have the opportunity to choose from over 20 career-training programs that prepare students for life after graduation. Through strong long-standing partnerships with business and industry, high school students are offered internships, apprenticeships and employment opportunities that benefit the community, the economy and the future of Apollo students.
Apollo Career Center Adult Education, an Ohio Technical Center, is one of the leading training facilities in the region, providing full-time and short-term training programs that upgrade, enhance and provide life-changing career choices for adult students. Adult Education has made a strong commitment to this region with additional business and industry support to offer a wide range of services including customized training and apprenticeships.
In addition to strong training programs, Apollo Adult Education serves over 150 fire departments and EMS squads in 14 counties through the public safety division. The burn room is the only facility of its kind in this region.
Apollo Career Center believes that a highly skilled workforce is an integral part of community success and will continue to be responsive and strive to meet the needs of its shareholders.
www.apollocareercenter.com
Lima Building Trades
The Lima Building & Construction Trades Council is composed of 16 trade unions made up of 2,500 highly skilled craftsmen from all over northwest Ohio. They have a proven track record of completing projects on time, on budget and with exceptional quality. Their work generates thousands of local jobs and millions of dollars in revenue as we work to build the northwest Ohio community. They also promote apprenticeships as a pathway to high-paying, satisfying careers with exceptional opportunities for advancement.
www.limabuildingtrades.com
Heir Force Community School
Heir Force Community School is committed to providing a safe learning environment where staff, students, parents, and community accept the responsibility of preparing students for academic success and to face the challenges of the future. Heir Force Community School’s environment of trust and mutual respect for all people reflects our belief that all students can learn. With rigorous and varied academic standards, we will work together to prepare our students to take a role in society as productive citizens and help develop their commitment to learning.
Heir Force Community School services approximately 300 students from a diverse population from the city of Lima and surrounding areas. The school culture and climate embody a collaborative approach through its rigor within the curriculum towards closing the achievement gap. Our mission ultimately is to meet all state academic indicators as outlined by the Ohio Department of Education. Our approach to achieving this goal is centered on increasing the scores in ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies as outlined with the American Institute for Research (AIR) Achievement test. Our teachers and staff support this mission by assessing student readiness, organizing instruction, and establishing individualized learning strategies for the purposes of increasing cognitive development.
The students at Heir Force Community School are living proof that through rigorous coursework, high expectations, and immersion within a positive learning environment that promotes having commitment, displaying affection, exhibiting respect, and showing excitement (CARE), all students can achieve at a maximum level.
IBEW Local 32
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers represents approximately 750,000 members who work in a wide variety of fields, including utilities, construction, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, railroads and government. The IBEW has members in both the United States and Canada and stands out among the American unions in the AFL-CIO because it is among the largest and has members in so many skilled occupations.
IBEW Local 32 has nearly 300 members in Allen, Auglaize, Hardin, Logan, Mercer, Shelby, Van Wert and Wyandot counties in west central Ohio. IBEW Local 32 was established in 1898 and is a leader in safety, technology and training. In a quest to provide a safe work environment, the organization developed paid continuing education program to ensure that you can have the most current and advanced training available.
As union members, IBEW bargains collectively with employers over wages, benefits and rights. Most have very limited bargaining power as one person, but as a group, members are strong. And with a good negotiated contract, IBEW has legal protections they would not have otherwise.
What does IBEW do?
❚ Electrical power and lighting systems.
❚ Power distribution and metering systems.
❚ Motor control and programmable logic controllers.
❚ Building automation systems.
❚ Energy management systems.
❚ Manufacturing and packaging systems.
❚ Uninterruptible power supply systems.
❚ Fire alarm systems.
❚ Voice-data-video installations.
https://ibew32.com/
University of Northwestern Ohio
The University of Northwestern Ohio has been pursuing its Drive for Excellence for more than 100 years. UNOH focuses on practical education, helping students develop the most in-demand skills sought by businesses and industries on the local and national levels. New degree programs in 2024 include Logistics & Supply Chain Management and the expansion of the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technology program. Coming soon will be a new degree focusing on Renewable Energy Technologies.
UNOH is a not-for-profit university rooted in entrepreneurism authorized by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. There are five colleges within the university: the College of Applied Technologies, the College of Business, the College of Occupational Professions, the College of Health Professions, and the Graduate College. At UNOH there is no out-of-state tuition, and the university is recognized as one of the most affordable private universities in Ohio which is what attracts students from around the country, and world, to choose UNOH as their home away from home during their college years. UNOH has taught students from all 50 states and also 75 countries, and currently has nearly 3,000 students enrolled this academic year.
The University is known worldwide as a leader in educating students in the Automotive, Diesel and High-Performance industries and also offers nearly 50 degree programs in Business, Healthcare, Marketing, Information Technology, Robotics and Automation, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, and many other fields of study. The university also supports 14 collegiate athletic teams that compete in the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference.
A point of pride for UNOH is offering students real-world internships and work experiences related to their chosen field of study. Whether it’s interning at the Super Bowl or helping out a world-class race team in Formula Drift, Monster Jam, NASCAR, IndyCar or at the grassroots dirt tracks throughout the season, UNOH students make connections to land themselves jobs even before they graduate!
Students at the University of Northwestern Ohio develop lifelong friendships, embrace a culture of learning and adapt to new techniques and technologies. Every year the University strives to continue to grow, plan and progress to meet the needs of its students, the community and the industries it serves.
www.unoh.edu
Bluffton University
Since 1899, Bluffton University’s faculty and staff have dedicated themselves to helping students find their talents, their passions and, ultimately, their way. Starting with the Great Adventure in their first semester, students are challenged to ask the big questions in life. And, surrounded by a village of support, they’ll develop a framework for life.
Bluffton offers more than 90 undergraduate majors, minors and programs. Graduate programs include business administration (MBA), education, social work, dietetics and organizational management.
Bluffton University graduates are prepared for life. Ninety-eight percent are employed, in graduate school or completing long-term service within six months of graduation!
www.bluffton.edu
The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University is a research powerhouse constantly expanding its understanding of the world. At Ohio State Lima, students can start early with undergraduate research projects, and experiential and service-learning opportunities – all part of a robust student experience designed to develop the next generation of leaders.
Ohio State Lima students have their choice of 12 bachelor’s degree programs, two degree-completion programs and access to the more than 200 Ohio State majors. They become part of an academic tradition that leads the way in shaping tomorrow’s future as they join the over half a million former Ohio State students who have discovered futures they never expected.
http://Lima.OSU.edu
Ohio Northern University
Ohio Northern University is an independent, comprehensive university with nationally ranked academics and a 96 percent job placement rate.
Since our inception in 1871, we’ve been devoted to developing students who are ready to immerse themselves in high-impact learning with more than 60 programs to choose from in five colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business, Engineering, Pharmacy and Law. Our rich
history of academic excellence is always evolving to meet society’s ever-changing needs.
ONU continues to be ranked among the best universities in the nation for offering an exceptional education with an outstanding return on investment. We’ve most recently been recognized as a “Best Bang for the Buck” university, for boosting graduates’ salaries, and our high graduation and job placement rates. We develop and prepare good students for great careers at our safe, vibrant, rural campus in Ada, Ohio.
www.onu.edu
Rhodes State College
Called upon to develop highly trained, innovative, career-ready individuals for every industry and organization, Rhodes State College has become the right place for students who want to make an impact right now.
For over 50 years, Rhode State has changed lives, built futures and improved communities through lifelong learning. We take pride in training individuals who become essential contributors to manufacturing, business, healthcare and their communities. With over 100 programs, majors and certificates, students come to Rhodes State with promising futures and complete their training with new jobs, new credentials, or their sights set on seamlessly transitioning to a bachelor’s degree program.
We are creating a quality, affordable pathway for students to accomplish their goals, whether they begin at Rhodes State in high school, through our College Credit Plus program, or come seeking a new path in life, a new hobby, or an upgrade to their job skills. Through an extensive partnership with business, manufacturers, healthcare providers, and organizations in our ten-county service area, students have the opportunity to connect, network and enter new roles upon completion of their courses.
Rhodes State is a vital asset to the region for growth and innovation as we strive to meet the needs of employers with the credentialed workers they need to succeed and grow. We are creating new programs, purchasing advanced laboratory equipment, and collaborating with regional partners to garner fresh ideas and insight. The new Borra Center in Downtown Lima is just one example of how Rhodes State is creating an interdisciplinary learning environment, equipped with the latest technology to serve students and the community as a whole.
Students of every variety can experience the excellence of Rhodes State online, on campus, or through our network of educational partners. We have staff and faculty to support special needs, help to engage in student activities, or give counseling and career advice. In addition, our alumni family of over 19,000 degree holders is a growing force in our region. They are available as mentors to our students and bridge-builders for the College into the community.
www.rhodesstate.edu ◗
