Strategic coordination for advanced learning and employment in manufacturing (scale-m) consortium

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded Stark State College of Technology $2.35 million on October 1, 2026, under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to lead the Strategic Coordination for Advanced Learning and Employment in Manufacturing (SCALE-M) Consortium.

The consortium will redesign advanced manufacturing curriculum to address Ohio's technician shortage in automation, artificial intelligence, and microelectronics through a faculty-led, industry-informed initiative. The project will embed industry-validated competency models into curriculum design, establish multiple entry and exit points for learners, and create a replicable framework for statewide industry-education alignment that other states can adopt. The consortium will leverage Ohio TechNet, a community college network originally launched by Lorain County Community College through a Department of Labor grant, to disseminate best practices and advanced manufacturing curriculum across partner institutions statewide.

Stark State College, located in North Canton, Ohio, serves as the recipient and lead organization. Performance extends across the Ohio TechNet member institutions and partner community colleges throughout Ohio. The project period runs from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2030.

Abstract

Amid rapid technological change, ohio's advanced manufacturing sector faces a critical technician shortage. This project will accelerate a coordinated solution designed to create rapid, statewide impact by closing ohio's workforce GAP in automation, artificial intelligence, and microelectronics, while establishing a roadmap for other states. The strategic coordination for advanced learning and employment in manufacturing (scale-m) consortium will pursue a faculty-led, industry-informed curriculum redesign initiative that will modernize coursework to meet the surging demand, providing multiple entry and exit points for learners to gain employment and advance their careers. The consortium will establish a model for achieving industry-education alignment on a statewide scale, creating a replicable framework that other states can adopt to address manufacturing workforce needs. The project will advance technician education through systematic innovations that address critical knowledge gaps in industry-education alignment. By implementing a replicable approach to embedding industry-validated competency models into curriculum design, the project will contribute to the national understanding of how statewide frameworks can accelerate educational responsiveness to workforce needs. By developing and testing scalable models for industry-education alignment, the project will contribute essential knowledge for maintaining manufacturing competitiveness in an increasingly complex global economy. The scale-m consortium will utilize ohio technet, a network of community colleges originally launched by lorain county community college through a U.S. Department of labor grant, to disseminate the project's best practices and advanced manufacturing curriculum statewide. To ensure a unified, scalable approach across all partner institutions, the consortium will utilize a new ohio association of community colleges (oacc) program structure that provides students with clear, multiple entry and exit points. This structure is designed to embed industry-validated core courses into college curricula statewide, utilizing a stackable pathway system that removes common barriers for non-traditional students, incumbent workers, and adult learners. This project is funded by the advanced technological education program, which focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.