WILBERFORCE — Central State recently expanded its emphasis on workforce development through programs and certificates that provide training for in-demand skills.
Located at 840 Germantown Street, Central State University-Dayton is quickly becoming a hub for these industry-relevant training opportunities.
In June, the first class graduated from the Community Health Workers (CHW) certificate program. Supported by a $200,000 grant from CareSource, the free program prepared students to work in various settings, including community-based health and social service agencies and home visitation programs.
“The Central State University CareSource Community Health Worker certificate program will provide tremendous value to the Miami Valley in helping to address health disparities in disproportionately impacted communities,” said Stephen Washington, director of Central State’s Community Engagement and Business Partnerships.
In addition to the Community Health Worker certificate program, the Dayton location has recently launched the Workforce Training and Business Development Center. It focuses on upskilling Dayton-area community members, particularly those affected by the pandemic or underemployment.
The Workforce Training and Business Development Center offers training in robotics, welding, app development, entrepreneurship, and more — nearly all of which are offered at CSU-Dayton, with some taking place at the main campus in Wilberforce. Most of the classes do not require previous experience — just a willingness to learn.
Dr. Terry Muff, director of the Workforce Training and Business Development Center, emphasized the affordability of the job training. All programs are free except the app development class.
Chiquita Ward, who completed the iOS app development class, noted the value of the skills she gained and how it has changed her future plans.
“Originally, it was just to be a better code tester because that’s what I currently do, but now it’s made me just want to really dig into the code. I’m not going to say it’s easy, but it’s easier than I thought it would be,” she said.
Muff emphasized the prevalence of well-paying jobs in the field of water resources management, which in addition to being an undergraduate major at Central State, is an area of industry training the center offers.
“In the future, in partnership with our Land-Grant Extension programs, we plan to make our training accessible all over the state of Ohio. As Ohio’s only public HBCU and 1890 Land-Grant Institution, we are uniquely positioned to provide this service statewide,” Washington added.
