Lima OH Education and Higher Learning
We’re a maker community. We invent, we build and we turn ideas into reality. Our students do amazing things, and with local post-graduate colleges, universities and career centers, they’re finding jobs right here! When it comes to quality of life, education and cutting-edge health care, the Greater Lima Region has it all! Come and discover for yourself our Real American Heart!
Enhancing education is a priority of Lima/Allen County. Our community has outstanding educational programs for all career paths, including skilled trades. We offer skill trades training programs at both the vocational level and with full apprentice programs.
APOLLO
Apollo Career Center has been in the business of workforce development for 43 years training high school and adult students in careers that have high employment opportunities in this region. Responsive to area business and industry needs, Apollo customizes and upgrades skills training in its continuing commitment to provide a skilled workforce. Students complete programs with college credit and industry certifications that add value and employability as well as opportunity.
High school students from 11 area schools choose from over 20 career-training programs that prepare students for life after graduation. The renovation of the campus has added state-of-the-art equipment and enhanced opportunity for learning in all programs and academic labs. Through strong, long-standing partnerships with business and industry, high school students are offered internships, apprenticeships and employment opportunities that benefit the community, the economy and the future of Apollo students.
Apollo Career Center Adult Education (Ohio Technical Center) is one of the leading training facilities in the region, providing full-time and short-term training programs that upgrade, enhance and provide life-changing career choices for adult students. Adult education has made a strong commitment to this region with additional business and industry support, customized training and upgraded facilities to accommodate the training needs of the community. In addition to strong training programs, Apollo Adult Education serves 78 fire departments and EMS squads in 14 counties through the public safety division. The burn room is the only facility of its kind in Ohio, built to address the training needs of the region.
Apollo Career Center believes that a highly skilled workforce is an integral part of community success, and will continue to be responsive and strive to meet the needs of its stakeholders.
Bluffton University
At Bluffton University, our sense of a greater purpose develops students of exceptional character and expansive vision. For 120 years, we’ve been learning, experiencing and bettering the world together.
Located on a 65-acre residential campus, Bluffton offers more than 80 majors, minors and programs for undergraduate students, including nationally accredited programs in dietetics, education, music and social work.
Opportunities for working adults include accounting, organizational management and RN to BSN degree-completion programs and graduate programs in business administration, education and organizational management.
Bluffton University was founded in 1899 and affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.
Dayton School of Medical Massage
At the Schools of Medical Massage, you can train to become a licensed massage therapist in as little as 12 months. Schools of Medical Massage offers many benefits including financial aid opportunities, career placement services for graduates and four convenient locations. Learn more at
www.massageschools.com.
IBEW LOCAL 32
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers represents approximately 750,000 members who work in a wide variety of fields, including utilities, construction, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, railroads and government. The IBEW has members in both the United States and Canada and stands out among the American unions in the AFL-CIO because it is among the largest and has members in so many skilled occupations.
IBEW Local 32 has nearly 300 members in Allen, Auglaize, Hardin, Logan, Mercer, Shelby, Van Wert and Wyandot counties in west central Ohio. IBEW Local 32 was established in 1898 and is a leader in safety, technology and training. In a quest to provide a safe work environment, the organization developed paid continuing education program to ensure that you can have the most current and advanced training available.
As union members, IBEW bargains collectively with employers over wages, benefits and rights. Most have very limited bargaining power as one person, but as a group, members are strong. And with a good negotiated contract, IBEW has legal protections they would not have otherwise.
What does IBEW do?
- Electrical power and lighting systems.
- Power distribution and metering systems.
- Motor control and programmable logic controllers.
- Building automation systems.
- Energy management systems.
- Manufacturing and packaging systems.
- Uninterruptible power supply systems.
- Fire alarm systems.
- Voice-data-video installations.
Ohio Northern University
College rankings confirm Ohio Northern University’s strong standing and reputation as an educational leader
Ohio Northern University continues to make the grade when it comes to offering students an outstanding educational experience. This fall, several ranking services again offer high marks to ONU, confirming the university’s strong reputation.
The rankings evaluate a number of criteria and offer various perspectives. While the specific evaluations vary, the common theme is the value of the Ohio Northern experience and how earning a degree from the university opens up doors of opportunity for its graduates.
For example, the 2020 U.S. News Best College rankings list ONU as fifth-best regional college in the Midwest. This is the fourth straight year the university has been ranked in the top six institutions in this category. These colleges and universities focus on the undergraduate experience and offer a broad range of programs in the liberal arts and professional fields.
For the second straight year, the service rates Ohio Northern third in the Midwest among regional colleges for best value. Additionally, the university is included in the “A+ school for B students” category, which focuses on universities where students that work found an environment where they can thrive.
Also, the service rates ONU 30th among regional colleges that promote social mobility. This measures schools’ success at supporting students from low-income families in achieving equity with students from families with stronger financial backgrounds and includes graduation rates.
Additionally, U.S. News ranks Ohio Northern’s T.J. Smull College of Engineering 32nd nationally among engineering programs that offer a bachelor’s or master’s degree as the highest degree. This marks the 12th time in the last 13 years that ONU’s College of Engineering has been ranked as a top-50 program.
The value of the Ohio Northern experience is evidenced by the success of its recent graduates. In all, 94 percent of ONU’s 2018 graduates were employed or attending graduate school within six months of graduation, which is a testament to the relevancy of the university’s educational experience.
THE Ohio State University
The Ohio State University is a research powerhouse constantly expanding its understanding of the world. At Ohio State Lima, students can start early with undergraduate research projects, national and international study tours, and experiential and service-learning opportunities – all part of a robust student experience designed to develop the next generation of leaders.
Ohio State Lima students have their choice of 12 bachelor’s degree programs, four degree-completion programs and access to the more than 200 Ohio State majors. They become part of an academic tradition that leads the way in shaping tomorrow’s future as they join the over half a million former Ohio State students who have discovered futures they never expected.
Ohio State Beauty Academy
The academy’s mission is to provide an equal opportunity to all people desiring a career in cosmetology, to give each student the best training possible, teaching them specific skills and related subjects necessary for them to be successfully employed in the cosmetology industry. Learn more at www.ohiostatebeauty.com.
Plumbers & Pipefitters – UA Local 776
UA Local 776 has a proud tradition of providing highly skilled and trained plumbers, pipefitters, sprinklerfitters, steamfitters and service technicians to West Central Ohio businesses and industries since 1937. The organization offers a five-year apprenticeship training program and continuing education to ensure members stay trained at the top of their field. In addition, all members receive stringent safety training and are regularly drug tested, so UA Local 776 can provide the safest, highly skilled workers to its partners, ensuring that they can complete their projects on time, within budget, and with exceptional quality. Learn more at www.ualocal776.com.
Rhodes State College
Rhodes State is one of the fastest growing institutions in Ohio. We are proud of our distinguished reputation among Ohio’s two year institutions – a reputation built upon a history of changing lives, building futures and improving communities. Through our Strategic Plan, we will continue to meet the needs of our diverse student body and affirm our commitment to a spirit of innovation and excellence.
Our students have every opportunity to succeed as we offer a full range of credit and non-credit courses and career training options. Within the College, there are over 100 programs, majors and certificates offered. With the newest addition of the Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees, you can also transfer many of the courses that you take at Rhodes to four-year colleges and universities in Ohio. The business and industry training division of the College offers seminars and classes for individuals interested in obtaining work-related skills.
Over the next three years, we plan to develop new program offerings for high demand employment areas; expand partnerships with business and industry; reshape programs, scheduling and delivery options to increase access and expedite time to educational goal attainment for students; and improve facilities and technology to satisfy the changing needs of our stakeholders.
Rhodes State College campus is an open and inclusive environment with student activities, athletics and student organizations that complement classroom experiences. We encourage you to take advantage of the many opportunities available to ensure that you are prepared for a constantly changing and global environment. Learn more at rhodesstate.edu.
University of Northwestern Ohio
From a small office building in downtown Lima with nearly two dozen students in 1920 to a 200-acre campus on the west end, the University of Northwestern Ohio has been pursuing its Drive for Excellence for 100 years. Celebrating its centennial in 2020, the university focuses on practical education, helping students develop the skills most in demand by business and industry. As technologies change and evolve, so do the university’s offerings to its constituents.
This not-for-profit university is rooted in entrepreneurism, is authorized by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. There are five colleges within the university: College of Applied Technologies, College of Business, College of Occupational Professions, College of Health Professions and the Graduate College. The university has taught students from all 50 states and 61 countries, and currently has nearly 4,000 students enrolled from 40 states and 49 countries. What attracts so many out-of-state students? At UNOH there is no out-of-state tuition. It is also one of the most affordable private universities in Ohio!
The University is known worldwide as a leader in the Automotive, Diesel, and High Performance industries, but also offers over 50 degree programs in Business, Healthcare, Marketing, Information Technology, Sport Marketing and Management, Robotics and Automation, and many other fields of study including Master’s, Bachelor’s, and Associate Degree programs.
The University of Northwestern Ohio fields 14 collegiate athletics programs including Men’s & Women’s Basketball, Tennis, Golf, Bowling and Soccer, Men’s Baseball, Women’s Softball and Volleyball, in addition, there is a co-ed Motorsports team, the only university-owned racetrack and varsity motorsports team in the country.
Students at the University of Northwestern Ohio develop lifelong friendships, embrace a culture of learning, adapt to new techniques and technologies, and launch their careers following graduation. Heading into the next century, the university strives to continue to grow, plan, and progress to meet the needs of its students, the community, and the industries it serves. Here’s to the next 100 years!