What is it: Sandusky High School Programs for S.U.C.C.E.S.S. recently was awarded $4,862,251 for construction and equipment needed for a new state-of-the-art welding lab. The announcement came on Nov. 3 as 35 Ohio schools were honored with grants totaling almost $200 million through Gov. Mike DeWine’s Career Technical Construction Program, which helps to expand education and training facilities to serve more students.
Lt. Governor Jon Husted visited Sandusky High School on Nov. 14 to visit the career tech programs and meet with teachers and administrators.
“With this announcement, not only are we creating more opportunities for all Ohio students to earn a career technical education, but we are also giving them more opportunities to be career-ready when they graduate,” says Husted in a State of Ohio press release. “Having access to high-quality equipment that Ohio businesses use will help students swiftly transition from classroom to workplace.”
Why is it important: Sandusky High School’s welding lab has been in need of new equipment and other updates for decades, including updates with ventilation, lighting, and instructional space, says Brandy Bennett, director of career technical education via a Nov. 8 press release from
Sandusky City Schools. Of the 15 available welding units, only eight are fully functional.
![]()
Gov. DeWine, Bennett, and Lt. Gov. Husted“To renovate the laboratory would require structural improvements that were not allowed with career technical education funds,” Bennett notes in the release. “Governor DeWine’s pledge of $200 million statewide for the Career Technical Construction Program was our beacon of hope to be able to provide a state-of-the-art welding lab to the students of Sandusky High School. We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to graduating students with academic and technical skills.”
Manufacturing is the number one industry in the region, constituting 24% of Erie County's workforce (accounting for 632 employers in Erie County alone), according to the SCS press release. Erie County is a “hotspot” for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers.
The national average for employees in this field for an area the size of Erie County is 112 employees, while there are 184 such employees in Erie County. There will be no shortage of these jobs in the future as the workforce is considered older than average with 25% of employees who are 55 years old or older and projected to grow 17.5% through 2026, according to the release.
“Preparing our students for postgraduate opportunities, careers, college, and the military, is shown in our deliberate actions as an educational system,” says Daniel Rambler, chief executive officer and superintendent of Sandusky City Schools via the press release. The Sandusky High School Programs for S.U.C.C.E.S.S. prepares our students for career opportunities following graduation. We are thankful the Governor values these efforts, and we can work together to support our students in Sandusky.”
For more information: Visit
the Governor’s website for more information about the program. For questions, comments, or concerns regarding SCS, contact Rambler at
[email protected] or 419.984.1000.