Akron’s Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub was awarded $3 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Good Jobs Challenge—complete with a $3.4 million local match for a total funding of $6.4 million—in the waning days of President Joe Biden’s administration.
The federal matching funding, announced Tuesday, Jan. 14, will help support the Greater Akron Chamber’s Advanced Polymer and Manufacturing Excellence (APEX) program, which addresses skilled-worker shortages and training gaps in the region’s polymer industry.
The $3.37 million of local funds will be provided collectively by partners Akron Rubber Development Laboratory, MAGNET, Manufacturing Works and Stark State College, according to the chamber.
“GAC is fortunate to have the ongoing support of its partners, polymer industry companies, elected officials and other economic development stakeholders to further advance the work of Northeast Ohio’s polymer industry,” it said.
Greater Akron Chamber President and CEO Steve Millard said the recent funding and previous funding, coupled with the tech hub designation, will help create a career path for Ohioans in the polymer industry.
“Northeast Ohio’s historical position as a leader in the polymer and manufacturing industry, coupled with our federal designation as the Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub of the United States, solidifies the power of collaboration that exists within the industry in our region,” he said in a statement.
“These funds will help further the Akron Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub by ensuring that we have a strong workforce to meet the demands of the growing polymers field,” said U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, an Akron Democrat, in a statement. “This investment will ensure Northeast Ohio remains a global leader and trailblazer in polymer science and polymer engineering, reaffirming our district’s legacy as the Rubber Capital of the World.”
Akron’s polymer sector was designated one of 31 inaugural tech hubs and was awarded $51 million in October 2023.
It was one of eight hubs awarded a matching grant from a pool of $25 million for workforce development.
The Good Jobs Challenge funding will be used to support a partnership of regional employers, educational institutions, industry, community and labor organizations working to design and implement industry workforce strategies targeting Portage, Stark, Summit and Wayne counties.
“The outcomes of the APEX workforce initiative are crucial to ensuring we are equipping our region’s employers with a strong pipeline of trained individuals, and, in turn, these individuals are being placed into ‘Good Jobs,’” Millard said in a statement. “And big picture, the outcomes are crucial to maintaining our global competitiveness and will support our efforts to drive global innovation in the polymer industry to further impact and shape the global, and local, economy.”
Akron’s polymer hub also is working with the National Science Foundation on the development of a cooling system for manufactured metal parts aimed at increasing strength while improving the surface finish and decreasing cracks and fatigue. The new process will improve the quality of the printed parts while shortening production time.
Rubber News added to this report.