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Career‑tech and workforce groups seek state start‑up funding for school‑to‑career pathways
Summary
Organizations running career‑connected schools, VR career simulations and educator workforce collaboratives asked the Senate for pilot and program funding to expand aerospace/maritime high school programs, VR career exploration, micro‑credentialing pilots, and STEM educator industry immersion.
Several groups seeking to expand career‑connected learning and industry pipelines testified before the Senate Education Committee, requesting targeted budget funding to scale programs that tie K‑12 instruction to regional workforce needs.
Drew Ferguson, founder of Argonaut and co‑operator of the Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School in Cleveland (a partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District), requested $1,000,000 over the biennium from the career‑tech enhancements line to support industry partnerships, paid internships and credentialing at Davis A&M.
Dan Risco, vice president of government relations for Transfer (a virtual career‑exploration and VR training firm), asked for $1,300,000 in annual funding to deploy immersive career exploration tools aligned to Ohio's in‑demand jobs and career clusters. Risco said pilots in Ohio districts and county education service centers have shown high student engagement and confidence gains.
Charlie Mulligan (Steiger EdTech) proposed a $500,000 per‑year pilot to expand micro‑credentialing tied to employer needs — a model he said has reached hundreds of schools in other states by integrating competitive e‑sports to engage students in credential pathways.
PATH (PASS) Foundation and other STEM educator workforce collaborative leaders asked for continued line‑item support (examples: $500,000 per year for the STEM Educator Workforce Collaborative; PATH cited training for hundreds of educators and tens of thousands of student learning experiences).
Witnesses emphasized matching funds from industry and school districts, and asked for seed state investments to create regional talent pipelines for sectors such as aerospace, advanced manufacturing, broadband and health care. Committee members asked for cost‑per‑student estimates and evidence of employer commitments; witnesses said detailed proposals would be provided to staff for budget consideration.
