Goshen Community Schools wants to reflect the industries around it with the paths it offers students, city redevelopment officials heard Tuesday.
This story by Jordan Fouts originally appeared in The Elkhart Truth.
The Goshen Redevelopment Commission in Indiana approved a $100,000 donation to the school district to purchase equipment for new advanced manufacturing training programs. The money will come from the Southeast Tax Increment Finance District.
Steve Hope, assistant school superintendent, said they’re currently working with architects to design space for what he called a premier manufacturing pathway. He indicated the money from the RDC will help Goshen Schools fill an important gap in its curriculum while also making the space available to businesses to give their employees additional training.
“Goshen of course is one of the great manufacturing hubs of the United States. Goshen High School has not had a manufacturing program up until this year,” he said. “This pathway will serve both our current high school students, so they can graduate with certifications that local businesses need for high-tech, high-paying jobs, (and) local businesses can also use this space to train their incumbent workforce.”
He said the money from the city will mostly be used to buy basic manufacturing equipment, such as metal lathes, milling machines and band saws, and more advanced equipment for vacuum, electrical and hydraulic processes. It’s much of the same equipment used by Goshen manufacturers, he said.
The project is the result of extensive conversations with Goshen companies, including Lippert Components and Keystone RV, and of going out and seeing what such a state-of-the-art facility looks like. He noted that other schools in Elkhart County may have similar certification programs, but Goshen would like to have the premier facility.
