Cincinnati State president to participate in Energy & Economic Summit
August 15, 2011
Cincinnati State President O’dell M. Owens is scheduled to participate in the “Ohio Governor’s 21st Century Energy & Economic Summit” next month in Columbus.
Organizers report the two-day summit, to be held Sept. 21-22 at The Ohio State University, will be built around themes critical to developing an energy policy that supports long-term economic growth and job creation. More than 75 industry, environmental, and policy leaders have been invited to present their viewpoints to members of Gov. John Kasich’s administration and other Ohio policymakers.
Dr. Owens is on a panel that will discuss “Human Capital, Education, and Energy.” Among the questions panelists are scheduled to take up:
- Does Ohio have a workforce that is ready for the 21st Century energy economy?
- Is Ohio’s educational system prepared to train professionals and workers for the 21st Century energy economy?
- What role can the energy industry play in educating tomorrow’s energy workers?
- How can Ohio’s universities and technical education institutes best contribute to the development of new energy technologies and businesses?
“I’m glad Gov. Kasich has recognized that community colleges have a significant role to play,’’ Dr. Owens said.
He noted that much of the discussion at the summit will likely be devoted to issues surrounding burgeoning interest in harvesting natural gas and oil from Ohio’s shale deposits, but that the agenda also calls for an exploration of alternative energy technologies, environmental safety, energy conservation and the need for a workforce that can serve the demands of a fast-changing energy industry.
In those areas, Dr. Owens said, Cincinnati State has considerable expertise:
- The college launched the first renewable energy major in the state of Ohio.
- It has one of the largest co-op programs in the U.S. among two-year schools and maintains close relationships with more than 700 employers.
- It worked closely with Duke Energy and other partners to launch a Smart Energy major, built on the foundation of its highly-regarded electrical engineering technologies program.
- It has an environmental engineering technologies program that routinely competes with four-year institutions in regional and national contests, and a strong reputation for training individuals for careers in water quality protection and management.
Above all, Dr. Owens said, community colleges have the ability to respond quickly to the needs of employers and provide high quality training that will provide job-ready workers.
“It’s like we say in our advertising – this is where excuses stop and jobs begin,’’ he remarked.
