Carroll, Ohio – Governor Mike DeWine joined education leaders and local officials to celebrate the grand opening of the new NextGen Training Center at Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools. The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place earlier this week on the Fairfield Career Center campus and marked the completion of the 34,000-square-foot facility built to provide cutting-edge career training to high school and adult learners across central Ohio.
“The NextGen Training Center will help hundreds more students discover new interests, practice new skills, and explore opportunities they can take with them for the rest of their lives,” said Governor DeWine. “As we continue to invest in career technical education, we’re helping Ohio students find subjects they’re passionate about and that inspire them to reach their full potential.”
Funded in part through the state’s Career Tech Construction Grant Program, which contributed more than $4 million, the facility is a response to growing demand for career tech pathways across the state. Ohio has seen a 10% increase in career tech enrollment over the past four years — a rise of about 13,000 students since 2021.
Programs Designed for High-Demand Jobs
The NextGen Training Center will initially offer several key programs, including a new high school welding program, a powerline technician course for high schoolers, and a broadband infrastructure training program for adult learners. These programs are tailored to meet growing workforce needs in trades that are increasingly essential to Ohio’s infrastructure and economic development.
The building’s design incorporates room for future expansion, enabling Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools to eventually accommodate an additional 200 career tech students annually. The added capacity is expected to serve students from across the region, including Franklin, Fairfield, and Pickaway counties. Eastland-Fairfield currently serves 16 school districts and 17 high schools within a 700-square-mile area, making it the seventh-largest career and technical district in Ohio by geographic size.
“This facility will open new doors for students across central Ohio, preparing them for the high-demand careers that drive our region forward,” said Shelley Groves, Superintendent of Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools. “We are incredibly grateful to Governor DeWine for his continued investment in career technical education and for helping make the NextGen Training Center a reality.”
Partnering for Workforce Success
The NextGen Training Center is the result of collaborative planning between educators, industry leaders, and government stakeholders who identified a pressing need for hands-on training in skilled trades. It stands as a model for how education can be tightly aligned with workforce development, providing students with the tools they need to succeed while addressing labor shortages in high-demand sectors.
With career tech participation steadily climbing and demand for skilled workers continuing to grow, the launch of the NextGen Training Center could not be more timely. By investing in career-focused education, Ohio is preparing the next generation of welders, utility workers, and broadband technicians who will power the state’s economy into the future.
