Medina, OH — Eleven teachers from throughout Medina County have spent the first week of June touring ten local manufacturers to see what career paths are possible for their students.
With state grants that are providing them graduate credit from Ashland University, the educators are meeting with manufacturers to learn about workforce skill gaps, then creating real-world lesson plans that will help their students start their careers with the skills that local employers find valuable.
Organized by Medina County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and hosted by the Medina County Career Center, this effort was meant to connect educators with employers who want to impact the curriculum in local schools so it benefits student career development.
A grant from the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation that funded the Medina County Manufacturing Partnership allowed MCEDC to hire Roger Wright to oversee this professional development course. “Roger is the former Director of the Four Cities Educational Compact and was the perfect choice to serve as an adjunct for this class,” said MCEDC Executive Director Bethany Dentler.
“Students benefit every time we can get educators in the room with experts from the manufacturing and business world,” said Wright. “Teachers use the experience to connect their academic content to real work world applications and help the students understand what types of outstanding career opportunities exist right here in their own community.”
Dentler said that besides parents, teachers are the individuals that have the most connection and influence with students: “We wanted to make teachers aware of the amazing careers to be found in our local manufacturing facilities.”
Wright agreed, saying, “When educators understand more about the local businesses, they can better help students make wise choices.”
The teachers toured ten facilities during the week, including Ravago, Fire-Dex, Securitec, SFS, 3M, Root Candles, Northlake Steel, Three D Metals, Automation Tool & Die, and Welser Profile.
From executives at companies ranging from the City of Medina and Sharon Township to Granger and Liverpool Townships, “teachers heard over and over this week from employers about what skills are most needed for young people to succeed when they one day enter the workforce,” said Wright. “Many of these, such as a positive attitude, good attendance, work ethic, and communication skills, are worked on every day in our schools.”
Alyssa Jensen teaches economics and history for Grades 9-12 at Medina Christian Academy. She said, “This has been a great experience to see what employers really want out of our students and how we can prepare them to give 100% of their ability to what they’re going to do in their future.” According to Jake Altman, the Projects Director for MCEDC who organized the event, the Teacher Bootcamp has been an intense experience, with plant tours and classroom time supplemented by evening research and posting to an online discussion board where the participating teachers are reflecting on their experiences.
“The online and classroom discussions are yielding some incredibly rich thoughts regarding the need for closer partnerships between educators, businesses, and students. That was precisely our goal for the week,” said Altman.
Roger Wright reflected that the bootcamp experience was very eye-opening for local teachers. “They see all the types of jobs available in Manufacturing. They see STEM concepts with Science, Technology, Math, and Engineering in action with amazing processes that mass produce. They see workers in safe-modern facilities using high-tech equipment. They see robotics and automation. They see people who make a good living and take great pride in the goods and products they help produce.”
Bethany Dentler credited their partnership with Dr. James Powell, Executive Director of Professional Learning Services Ashland University for making the week possible. “When we first heard about Ashland’s bootcamp program two years ago, we knew we had to bring it to Medina County. MCEDC attended the bootcamp held in Lorain County in 2024 and saw what an incredible difference it made in the outlook of the education community. We’re thrilled to see how excited the teachers have been to participate in the bootcamp, and we know it will make an impact on hundreds of students in Medina County,” said Dentler.
