Hocking College celebrated the completion of a $1 million capital improvement project creating the Workforce Development and Training Center at The Lodge at Hocking College (formerly known as The Inn) with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 17.
Following the ceremony, the College’s Board of Trustees in a special board meeting also approved a number of programs for exploration and development.
“The College has not offered any new programs in seven years,” said Dr. Betty Young, president of Hocking College. “I am proud of our faculty and academic leadership to identify gaps in our programming that have resulted in these program proposals. The Board’s approval today allows us to move forward with the feasibility studies and ultimate submission to the Ohio Department of Higher Education for final approval.”
Programs being considered for development over the course of the next three years include:
- Web and Application Development
- Dental Hygiene
- Fermentation Science
- Equine Therapy
- Fashion Design and Merchandising
- Supply Chain Management
- Recreation/Therapeutic Management
- Petroleum Technology
- Veterinary Technology/Animal Science
- Theater
- Certificates in Real Estate, CDL, Welding, Sales, Insurance, Entrepreneurship and Historic Preservation
Thanks to a recently awarded Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant, Hocking College is positioned to become the area’s leader for workforce training to meet rapidly changing employment demands.
New programs offered through the ARC grant include training for jobs in areas of advanced welding; Commercial Driving, including bus driving and CDL/truck driving; electrical with focus on solar; petroleum technology; and automotive technology, including hybrid certification.
“Generational poverty is a real social and economic disadvantage for our region,” said Dr. Young. “Providing relevant training in high demand careers leading to jobs that are available today provides a pathway to prosperity and upward mobility to some who may have thought their situation hopeless.”
The Workforce Development and Training Center will provide customized training to area employers as well as short-term training leading to job readiness. The combined state investment in the Center along with the recent $1.4 million in federal funding through the ARC to provide training in coal impacted communities, will have a much more significant impact on our workforce than any other single effort in our region.
Frits Rizor, Dean of Community Outreach and Workforce Development at Hocking College, will lead the training initiatives at the new Center. Employers interested in customized training can contact Dean Rizor at rizorf@hocking.edu.
With more than 50 associate degree programs to choose from, Hocking College now serves more than 3,000 students. Set in the scenic town of Nelsonville, Ohio, the 2,300-acre institution is rich in history, nature, art and culture. Hocking College also has the Perry Campus located in New Lexington, Ohio and the Logan Campus. In addition to the school's on-campus residents, who attend Hocking from throughout the United States and around the world, local students commute from all over Southeastern Ohio.
