Supports in Career-Technical Education
Fiscal Year 2027 CTE Access Grant
The Fiscal Year 2027 Career‑Technical Education (CTE) Access Grant supports the development and implementation of high‑quality, employer‑driven manufacturing programs that expand access to in‑demand career pathways for students and adults across Ohio. This two‑year competitive grant, designed in partnership with the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA), helps communities build sustainable, industry‑aligned capacity that leads to meaningful workforce outcomes.
The grant incorporates the OMA’s nationally recognized WorkAdvance model, which has proven effective in preparing adults, including those with untapped and career-changing talent, for high‑demand manufacturing operator roles. Its integration into Ohio’s career-technical education system reflects months of collaboration between the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and OMA leadership.
Approximately $3.2 million is available for this grant. The Department plans to award up to $320,000 per applicant and seeks to fund a minimum of ten applicants statewide.
OMA has long served as Ohio’s leading manufacturing workforce intermediary, championing employer‑aligned training models, sector partnerships, and competency frameworks. Its Ohio Manufacturing Competency Model provides detailed, industry‑validated knowledge and skill expectations used statewide by manufacturers and educators.
Embedding OMA’s WorkAdvance Model into an approved CTE structure ensures:
- Employer‑driven program design, grounded in real manufacturing needs
- Alignment to the competencies Ohio manufacturers identify as most critical
- A unified system connecting K‑12, adult workforce, and employer partners
- Scalable pathways that prepare learners for high‑skill, high‑wage manufacturing careers
This framework directly aligns with OMA’s broader strategy to strengthen the pipeline for manufacturing talent.
Explore the application for more information about the CTE Access Grant.
For questions about this grant please contact Josh Miller.
A primary focus of the Ohio Perkins V State Plan is improving access, enrollment, engagement and performance for all students, with an intentional focus on students in special populations and subgroups.
Perkins V Special Populations
- Students from economically disadvantaged families
- Students with disabilities
- Students preparing for nontraditional fields
- English learners
- Students experiencing homelessness
- Youth who are in, or have aged out of, the foster care system
- Youth with a parent in the armed forces and on active duty
- Single parents, including single pregnant women
- Out-of-workforce individuals (postsecondary only)
Recruiting Special Populations into CTE Toolkit
Students representing special population groups must have access to additional supports that could increase the enrollment and success in CTE programs. This Special Populations Toolkit supports the education community in implementing strategies that recruit and support special populations into programs that lead to high-wage, in-demand jobs.
Supports
Last Modified: 5/12/2026 7:51:06 AM