3M grants OTC $120K

St. Paul, Minnesota-based 3M (NYSE: MMM) presented Ozarks Technical Community College with a $120,000 grant.

Written in partnership with Springfield Public Schools and 3M’s Springfield plant, the grant is earmarked for OTC to buy a new training system and affiliated software, according to a Jan. 6 news release.

The system and software will be used by OTC’s continuing education workshops and regional manufacturer career-mentor partnerships. The grant also will allow OTC to create a new program in partnership with SPS. Starting this fall, SPS eighth-grade students can learn how to program, operate and maintain electromechanical and automated equipment.

“With manufacturing jobs in high demand both locally and nationwide, our collaboration with 3M and Springfield Public Schools will help younger students view manufacturing as a viable and lucrative career option before they enter high school,” said Matt Hudson, OTC dean of technical education, in the release.

Funding from the 3M Gives Foundation invests in education, community and environmental causes nationwide.

In the Queen City, 14,762 local people work at 513 manufacturing companies, according to the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

Read Springfield Business Journal’s Jan. 6 Early Friday Digital Edition or Jan. 9 print edition for more on what educators and industry officials are doing to recruit students in the manufacturing industry.

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